E Pluribus Unum
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
Of all the "buzz" words in our society, "tolerance" is one that seems to have reached iconic status. However, if we are going to base our entire societal attitude on this term, it is essential to know what this word actually means. Many people seem to have decided that "tolerance" means everyone's viewpoints are equally correct and valid, with each one rightfully claiming to be the "truth." But is this the correct interpretation of tolerance? In a world with no absolutes, where does tolerance end and truth begin? Scott Suskovic will write the main article, with Paul Bresnahan writing the response. Illustrations, liturgical aids, and a children's sermon are also provided.
E Pluribus Unum
Scott Suskovic
Acts 17:22-31
We are a nation of fierce tolerance. This week with the raid on the polygamous colony in Texas, this tolerance has been put to the test. We value the protection we provide any religion in our country. We don't have to agree with the doctrines but we will defend the believers' rights to worship in freedom. Where does this doctrine of tolerance come from?
E Pluribus Unum. We see it on our money. We see it on certain flags. Remember what it means? "From the many, one." E Pluribus Unum -- a perfect slogan to capture the melting pot of America. This country began with a quest for religious freedom. Believers in England were sick of the persecution they suffered under the state church in Western Europe. They wanted to be free. Protestantism, especially, benefited greatly under this fundamental axiom of America.
Tolerance. Freedom. It is so American. In America, you have the complete freedom to practice your own religion. In fact, you have the right to be protected to practice your religion. To make any claim of an exclusive truth, one religion against the other, goes against everything that is America including baseball and apple pie.
But have we misinterpreted E Pluribus Unum? It is a short step from saying that all religions are equal under the law to say that all religions are equal under truth. Equal protection does not mean that all religions are equal in truth. It just says that we all have the freedom to practice whatever we believe regardless of truth. I can worship a wooden idol in America so long as I am not infringing on other people's rights or endangering children, as in the allegations against this polygamous colony. I am protected. But that protection makes no claim or issues any statement about truth.
THE WORD
I heard a story about a person in a remote, third-world country speaking to the missionary who traveled the long distance and endured many hardships in order to share the gospel in that far-away country. During the course of the conversation, the person asked the missionary, "If I had never heard the gospel and knew nothing of Jesus Christ, would God punish me by sending me to hell when I die?" The missionary replied, "No. With no knowledge or opportunity, you would not be held liable." The native gasped, "Then why didn't you tell me?!"
That's a good question. Why do we tell them? I mean, regardless of what you think about the missionary's answer, it is still a good question. Why do we bother? Why do missionaries endure such hardship and go that many miles to tell other people in foreign lands about Jesus?
There are three answers to that question.
First, we have the duty. The most famous Bible verse supporting why we tell others about Jesus is Matthew 28:19-20. Following Jesus' resurrection from the dead, he gathered all his disciples together to give them their marching orders: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
Jesus commands his followers to spread the word. It is God's desire and will that his church grow and that the numbers of believers increase. For some, that is enough. They follow orders very well.
But along with duty, the second reason is that we have a claim, the exclusive claim of Jesus. We must be convinced in our own minds of the exclusive claim made in Acts 4:12 that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved. Before we tell other people about Jesus, we need to be convinced ourselves that he is the answer. It isn't as if there are many different paths leading to the same summit and we can pick and choose our routes like some religious smorgasbord that suits our tastes. Jesus said in John 14, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me" (v. 6). Biblically speaking, a Christian has an exclusive claim that Jesus is the means by which we are saved.
If duty is too legalistic and claim lacks passion, the third reason we tell others is the desire. There needs to be passion. A fire has to be in the belly. We can have all the commands to go and tell. We can be convinced in our own minds that Christ is the only way, but unless there is desire, passion, and fire, it won't gel. "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
These three reasons -- duty, claim, and desire -- worked together in Acts 17 as Paul preaches the gospel in Athens. Greece was a hotbed of philosophical debate. In fact, while the women did all the work, the men would spent all their time talking and debating and searching for truth. Philosophy was the highest possible pursuit.
In one way, Athens was a place ripe for the harvest. The men loved to hear new philosophical and religious talk. They were open minded and eager to debate. On the other hand, this open-forum attitude led to a very open and tolerant society in which there were no right or wrong answers. All religions had a place. Strength was found in diversity. Therefore, to make sure that all their bases were covered and that no one would be offended or left out, they had a temple filled with idols from around the world. In fact, they wanted to make sure that everyone was represented so they constructed an altar in one corner of the temple with the inscription, "To the Unknown God." There was room for everybody, every god, every belief system because all paths were leading to the same summit and now they had many from which to choose. They truly embraced E Pluribus Unum.
Paul sees this opening and instead of dropping a condemning bomb, he begins where they are at -- seekers of truth. Paul found that common ground on which to begin the conversation. Paul doesn't walk into Athens, notice that they already have their religion and continues down the road, choosing not to impose his beliefs. You can almost hear the conversation as Paul begins by acknowledging their deep beliefs, "I notice that you are very religious."
"Oh, yes. Very."
"I notice that you have many idols."
"Why, yes we do. Thank you for noticing."
"I notice that you have one without a name -- to the unknown god, I believe?"
"Well, we didn't want to leave anyone out or offend anyone."
"Let me tell you about that unknown god."
And Paul goes on to tell them about Jesus.
Paul has the duty to tell these people about Jesus -- he has been set apart by God for this mission. He also has the exclusive claim from the one who overwhelmed him on the road to Damascus. Moreover, chief sinner that he is, Paul has the deep desire to share this good news as one who has experienced God's grace firsthand.
Paul didn't go into Athens and see that they have enough gods or that they have their own religion or that they seemed content in their beliefs and then excuse himself to go on somewhere else. He knew that they were false gods and wooden idols and stone altars that were stone cold. He knew that they were lost and helpless without Jesus. He knew that they needed Jesus.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
In 2001, at a church-wide assembly, one major, mainline denomination commissioned a task force to affirm the lordship of Jesus and that he is the way to salvation. That's odd. Why would a church have to study that? Isn't that a given? Isn't that a fundamental belief? Why do you have to study something like that? Because there is a faction who believes otherwise. There is a faction that believes the church is bigoted, narrow-minded, and exclusive. Are they?
It is offensive, isn't it? It was designed to be so. If you are not offended, you haven't heard the gospel. You haven't confronted the cross, because the cross is offensive. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1, "Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" (vv. 22-23).
In America, we have developed a mountaintop theology that says that we are all on a quest. No matter our origin of birth or our religion of choice, we are all on different quests to the top of that same mountain. It doesn't matter what path you take because they were all leading to the same place. Multiple paths, one summit. Sounds inclusive. Sounds American. The problem is, it does not reflect Paul's actions in Acts 17. Paul knows that he serves a jealous God who does not tolerate any other gods in his midst.
We should all defend the right of any Muslim or Jew or Buddhist to worship without restriction, with complete freedom, however they see fit, but that right is a guarantee of freedom, not truth -- tolerance, not salvation.
The struggle will be to preach in a nonjudgmental way that turns the attention back to Jesus. He is what makes Christianity unique. Moses is dead. Mohammad is dead. Confucius is dead. Nietzsche is dead. Jesus lives.
However, Jesus' resurrection is not what makes him unique. Other people were resurrected. It is rare, but Jesus resurrected Lazarus and Elijah resurrected a young boy. So we can't say that Jesus is the only one resurrected from the dead. What makes him unique is that he is the only person who walked this earth without spot, without blemish, without sin. That's what makes him unique. That's what makes him the only path to the top of that summit. He is the only one who qualifies to take away our sins.
That's the difference. The one without sin came to take on my sin so that when I take my final breath and the long list of my sins are read from the book of life, I am declared righteous, because he is righteous, and has fulfill the demands of the law for my sake... and yours.
No one else can do that -- except one.
ANOTHER VIEW
We Have an Advocate!
Paul Bresnahan
John 14:15-21
The Associated Press recently reported a story called "Billable Hours for the Soul." The story is about 350 lawyers who descended upon the west Texas town of San Angelo to defend 416 children and their parents who were caught up in the accusations and counter-accusations surrounding a polygamist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City repudiates the practice of polygamy, there are still those who hang on to these older ways. What interests me is the role of advocate that these attorneys play and how they play it "pro bono" on behalf of these youngsters.
Whatever the merits of the case, it is reassuring to see so many attorneys rise to the occasion of advocacy almost "spontaneously," as it were. Some years ago, I needed some legal help when trying to put together a homeless shelter. The problems were all the machinations of zoning and "neighborly" objections to having "objectionables" living so close to several residences. There were no sites that were acceptable to all, and no matter how hard we tried to find such a site we were met at every juncture by legal objection. Finally several attorneys appeared to provide some advocacy for the homeless and in due course we were on our way toward providing a place for the "least of these" to rest their heads along with the rest of us.
We are told in today's gospel that Jesus would ask the Father to send us yet another Advocate to intercede on our behalf before the host of heaven. This is no one-sided affair, however, in which the interests of the client are put before the truth. Indeed, this advocate is the Spirit of the truth itself. It appears that when we acknowledge the truth about ourselves, our advocate can then make the case for our perfect forgiveness and reconciliation. As the scripture puts it sublimely in another place in John's theological approach to the gospel, "If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).
Why would Jesus speed his way on our behalf to be our advocate? After all, were we not yet sinners? It is in this very fact that the mystery of our atonement lies. Here is the good news: Jesus loves us and gave himself for us even before we had any inkling that we needed salvation. As Paul puts it in his letter to the Christians in Rome, "But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:8-11).
It is interesting to me that we have become so accustomed to harsh voices of judgment that we forget the good news of God's love for the sinner. So much of what passes for gospel these days on the mass media is not good news at all; it is very much bad news.
It is said that we live in a litigious time. Trial lawyers are often roundly vilified by the public. There is no end of "lawyer jokes" to testify to that fact! We can have a lot of fun at the expense of lawyers, perhaps a bit unfairly. Our advocate is not a one-sided practitioner of legal loopholes and minutiae of the art of circumlocution.
The advocate we have is none other than the Holy Spirit in the person of Jesus Christ the righteous. At the core of the work of the Holy Spirit is the presentation of the truth. And beside the truth, there is also forgiveness. The atonement is based, we're told by John, on the willingness of Jesus to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. This brings forgiveness. Along with our Lord's power over death is his victory over sin as well.
Moreover, there is still more to the good news of Jesus that we proclaim in the resurrection season of Easter. As we await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost who is to be our advocate, we receive the gift of eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins, and still one more thing: the ministry of reconciliation. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:18 and 19, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us."
That is quite an advocate, when you think about it. Jesus doesn't just plead our case to get us "off the hook." He genuinely wants us to be reconciled with God and with one another. Jesus wants us to be "one" as he and the Father are one. He wants to give us forgiveness to make us free to do God's will without guilt. He wants to give us eternal life. That, my friends, is an Advocate, par excellence. If we were to find ourselves so forgiven, reconciled, and born to eternal life, imagine the joy we'd know. It would be nothing short of the joy of God!
ILLUSTRATIONS
When we are responding to the issue of other faiths and the response of Christians to them, it is wise to recall Jesus' first encounter with people of another faith. In Matthew 2:1-12, there is the story of the visit of the wise men. For Christians, it is important to recall that the first people to recognize and demonstrate submission to Jesus were these men from another culture and faith. These visitors from the east were the ones to announce to Israel and its leadership that a Messiah had been born. As we consider how to relate to other faiths, it is wise to be humble enough to consider the possibility that the other faith might teach us something about our own faith.
* * *
"There are those who prefer certainty to truth, those in church who put the purity of dogma ahead of the integrity of love. And what distortion of the gospel it is to have limited sympathies and unlimited certainties, when the very reverse -- to have limited certainties and unlimited sympathies -- is not only more tolerant but far more Christian."
-- William Sloane Coffin, Credo (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox, 2003) p. 144
* * *
"Last October 138 Muslim scholars and clerics released a statement titled 'A Common Word Between Us and You.' The statement declared that, 'The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians,' the basis of which can be found in 'the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God and love of neighbor.' " (Reported in the April 2008 issue of Sojourners, p. 8.) Should we look to people in other faiths to see signs of God's reconciling love operating in the world?
"(W)e must not presume to prejudge the last judgment. We know a few things, but they are enough: that the call of God is to all men; that those whom He chooses to convert are few; and that those few are chosen not for themselves but for the sake of all. If they forget that, they will be rejected."
-- Lesslie Newbigin, quoted in George R. Hunsberger, Bearing the Witness of the Spirit (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998)
* * *
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever" (John 14:16).
Martin Luther says, "Here we must note in what a friendly and comforting manner Christ speaks to all poor, saddened hearts and fearful, timid consciences. He shows us how we may truly recognize the Holy Spirit. We must learn to know and believe in the Holy Spirit as Christ describes him. His is not a Spirit of anger and terror but a Spirit of grace and consolation. We are to know that the entire Deity reflects sheer comfort."
-- Martin Luther, "Sermons on the Gospel of John (1537)," Luther's Works 24 (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 1976) p. 103
* * *
"Jesus said to the disciples: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments' " (John 14:15).
Oswald Chambers says, "Our Lord never insists upon obedience; he tells us very emphatically what we ought to do, but he never takes means to make us do it. We have to obey him out of a oneness of spirit. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, he prefaced it with an IF -- you do not need to unless you like. 'If any will be my disciple, let them deny themselves, let them give up their right to themselves to me.'
"The Lord does not give me any rules; he makes his standard very clear, and if my relationship to him is that of love, I will do what he says."
-- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour, 1963) p. 307 (edited for inclusivity)
* * *
Jesus makes a tremendous promise to us in the last verse of our gospel text today. He says, "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them" (John 14:21).
Jesus tells us that, if we keep his commandments, he's going to reveal himself to us. What an amazing thought! He's going to reveal himself! How is he going to do this? Probably not by showing himself to us is a form that our physical eyes can see. More likely in a calm assurance within us that he is, that he is with us at all times, and that he loves us beyond any love that we can imagine and calls us to do his work with him.
Life can't possibly get any better than that!
In Old Hawaii, it was the practice to isolate lepers from the rest of the population, primarily in the leper colony at Kalaupapa. The Hawaiian word kokua was used to describe a close friend or family member who would sometimes accompany a leper into the settlement.
Once the kokua had entered the settlement, he or she never left. Those who chose to be a kokua were effectively giving their lives for the other person, to see to his or her needs. They cast their lot entirely with one who was an outcast forever. When it came time to translate the Bible into Hawaiian, the translators were looking for a word to describe the concept of the Holy Spirit as advocate. The word they chose was kokua.
* * *
What do you suppose Paul would say if he showed up not on the Areopagus in ancient Athens, but in Times Square? What if he undertook his teaching not on the brow of a Greek hill surrounded by temples, but rather inside a Starbucks, handing out mocha lattes all round?
"Americans, I see how extremely religious you are, in every way," Paul might begin. But instead of speaking of temples to unknown gods, he might say something like this: "I have observed how many of you are fond of saying, 'I'm spiritual, but not religious.' I'm aware how increasing numbers of you never cross the threshold of a church or synagogue or even a mosque, but spend hours browsing religious books at Barnes and Noble. Many of you wear crosses around your necks, but hardly know why: You finger them in moments of fear or anxiety, and feel vaguely comforted. You sit at home, channel-surfing the televangelists and religious talk shows, hoping to glean some spiritual comfort; but you never linger long enough to submit yourselves to their teachings. You have an insistent curiosity about things religious, and vow that one day you will do something about it. But somehow you never find the time... you just never find the time."
* * *
Every public opinion poll indicates that Americans are among the most spiritually curious people on earth. Church attendance may be down across the country, but sales of religious books are up. Those who compile internet statistics say that a surprisingly large number of web hits take place on religious sites. In choosing among political candidates on the right or the left, large majorities of Americans believe itís important that our leaders demonstrate some religious commitment. When a religious phenomenon breaks out in the news media -- be it Mel Gibsonís The Passion of the Christ, or the religious proclivities of presidential candidates -- Americans follow these stories with tremendous interest. Were Paul alive today, he would probably see the American religious landscape not as a bleak desert, but rather as a wild and fertile wilderness waiting to be cultivated.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Call To Worship
Leader: We have come to seek God
People: who is not as far from us
as we might imagine.
Leader: We have come to meet God
People: who knows us better
than even we can imagine.
Leader: We have come to worship God
People: who has done more for us
than we could dare imagine.
Prayer Of The Day
Steadfast Love,
you live and breathe life into us;
life that can gentle
the cries of a baby
and the fears of a teenager;
life that can revere creation
and honor a grandparent;
life that can bring hope to the lost,
and healing to those who suffer.
Because you are the Christ,
Child of God,
we know who we are:
those who can be friends
to the rejected of the world;
those who can be joy
to all who have endured loss;
those who can be companions
to those whose feet have slipped off the way.
Gift of Grace,
you move gently in us:
so our weakness
may give strength;
so our stuttering words
may bear witness to your love;
so our feeble songs of praise
might echo in the hallways of heaven.
God in Community, Holy in One,
live, and move, and be in us,
even as we pray as we have been taught,
Our Father...
Call To Reconciliation
God invites us to pray, to lift our words, and even our silence. Let us confess our sins to the One who does not reject our prayers, but welcomes them.
Unison Prayer Of Confession
How often we act as if we do not know you, God of all people! We claim to love Jesus, but we treat those dearest to us as if they were strangers in our house. We orphan neighbors and friends, by not welcoming them into our lives. We are given the Spirit of truth, yet we are filled with deceit and speak lie upon lie.
Even as we speak of how we have not lived as your people, we will account for the hope that is in us: the hope of mercy, the hope of renewal, the hope of faithfulness in following Jesus Christ, who brings us to you, Blessing God.
Silence is kept
Assurance Of Pardon
Leader: God's constant love has not been taken from us, but is poured out, grace upon grace, into our lives.
People: Because Christ lives, we will live;
because Christ serves, we will serve;
because Christ loves, we will love.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Good or bad?
Object: a candle, a box of matches
1 Peter 3:13-22
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. (v. 17)
Good morning, boys and girls. What do your father and mother teach you about matches? (let them answer) Don't play with matches! That is something that every mother and father teaches their children.
Playing with matches can be very dangerous, can't it? What happens if you are not very careful with matches? (let them answer) That's right, you can start a fire and burn down your house or burn yourself if you are not really careful.
What else can you do with matches that can be good? (let them answer) You light a candle but you still have to be careful. (light the candle) What does a candle do? (let them answer) A candle gives us light when it is dark. If we lose our electricity because of a storm then a candle can give us enough light to see. We can still burn ourselves lighting candles if we are not careful.
There are a lot of things that are good and bad. They are good if we use them the right way and bad if we use them the wrong way. Medicine is good if we take just the right amount but it can be very bad if we take more than we are supposed to take, or if we take someone else's medicine.
Driving a car can be good if we are a safe driver, but if we are not safe drivers then we can have a wreck and hurt a lot of people.
God tells us that not everything is safe. Sometimes the things that we think are good can still make us hurt. Loving someone very much can hurt if they leave you and move away. Your heart really hurts but you still love them and hope that the hurt goes away. Helping poor people can be a really good thing but when we see how the poor suffer, we hurt inside.
That kind of suffering or hurt is a good pain, even if we feel bad. Just like a match can do good things or bad things. The same match that lights a candle can cause a fire or burn a person.
The next time you take a look at a match I want you to think about good hurting and bad hurting. We should always choose doing good things even if we hurt and never do bad things that also cause hurt. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 27, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
E Pluribus Unum
Scott Suskovic
Acts 17:22-31
We are a nation of fierce tolerance. This week with the raid on the polygamous colony in Texas, this tolerance has been put to the test. We value the protection we provide any religion in our country. We don't have to agree with the doctrines but we will defend the believers' rights to worship in freedom. Where does this doctrine of tolerance come from?
E Pluribus Unum. We see it on our money. We see it on certain flags. Remember what it means? "From the many, one." E Pluribus Unum -- a perfect slogan to capture the melting pot of America. This country began with a quest for religious freedom. Believers in England were sick of the persecution they suffered under the state church in Western Europe. They wanted to be free. Protestantism, especially, benefited greatly under this fundamental axiom of America.
Tolerance. Freedom. It is so American. In America, you have the complete freedom to practice your own religion. In fact, you have the right to be protected to practice your religion. To make any claim of an exclusive truth, one religion against the other, goes against everything that is America including baseball and apple pie.
But have we misinterpreted E Pluribus Unum? It is a short step from saying that all religions are equal under the law to say that all religions are equal under truth. Equal protection does not mean that all religions are equal in truth. It just says that we all have the freedom to practice whatever we believe regardless of truth. I can worship a wooden idol in America so long as I am not infringing on other people's rights or endangering children, as in the allegations against this polygamous colony. I am protected. But that protection makes no claim or issues any statement about truth.
THE WORD
I heard a story about a person in a remote, third-world country speaking to the missionary who traveled the long distance and endured many hardships in order to share the gospel in that far-away country. During the course of the conversation, the person asked the missionary, "If I had never heard the gospel and knew nothing of Jesus Christ, would God punish me by sending me to hell when I die?" The missionary replied, "No. With no knowledge or opportunity, you would not be held liable." The native gasped, "Then why didn't you tell me?!"
That's a good question. Why do we tell them? I mean, regardless of what you think about the missionary's answer, it is still a good question. Why do we bother? Why do missionaries endure such hardship and go that many miles to tell other people in foreign lands about Jesus?
There are three answers to that question.
First, we have the duty. The most famous Bible verse supporting why we tell others about Jesus is Matthew 28:19-20. Following Jesus' resurrection from the dead, he gathered all his disciples together to give them their marching orders: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you."
Jesus commands his followers to spread the word. It is God's desire and will that his church grow and that the numbers of believers increase. For some, that is enough. They follow orders very well.
But along with duty, the second reason is that we have a claim, the exclusive claim of Jesus. We must be convinced in our own minds of the exclusive claim made in Acts 4:12 that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we can be saved. Before we tell other people about Jesus, we need to be convinced ourselves that he is the answer. It isn't as if there are many different paths leading to the same summit and we can pick and choose our routes like some religious smorgasbord that suits our tastes. Jesus said in John 14, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me" (v. 6). Biblically speaking, a Christian has an exclusive claim that Jesus is the means by which we are saved.
If duty is too legalistic and claim lacks passion, the third reason we tell others is the desire. There needs to be passion. A fire has to be in the belly. We can have all the commands to go and tell. We can be convinced in our own minds that Christ is the only way, but unless there is desire, passion, and fire, it won't gel. "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).
These three reasons -- duty, claim, and desire -- worked together in Acts 17 as Paul preaches the gospel in Athens. Greece was a hotbed of philosophical debate. In fact, while the women did all the work, the men would spent all their time talking and debating and searching for truth. Philosophy was the highest possible pursuit.
In one way, Athens was a place ripe for the harvest. The men loved to hear new philosophical and religious talk. They were open minded and eager to debate. On the other hand, this open-forum attitude led to a very open and tolerant society in which there were no right or wrong answers. All religions had a place. Strength was found in diversity. Therefore, to make sure that all their bases were covered and that no one would be offended or left out, they had a temple filled with idols from around the world. In fact, they wanted to make sure that everyone was represented so they constructed an altar in one corner of the temple with the inscription, "To the Unknown God." There was room for everybody, every god, every belief system because all paths were leading to the same summit and now they had many from which to choose. They truly embraced E Pluribus Unum.
Paul sees this opening and instead of dropping a condemning bomb, he begins where they are at -- seekers of truth. Paul found that common ground on which to begin the conversation. Paul doesn't walk into Athens, notice that they already have their religion and continues down the road, choosing not to impose his beliefs. You can almost hear the conversation as Paul begins by acknowledging their deep beliefs, "I notice that you are very religious."
"Oh, yes. Very."
"I notice that you have many idols."
"Why, yes we do. Thank you for noticing."
"I notice that you have one without a name -- to the unknown god, I believe?"
"Well, we didn't want to leave anyone out or offend anyone."
"Let me tell you about that unknown god."
And Paul goes on to tell them about Jesus.
Paul has the duty to tell these people about Jesus -- he has been set apart by God for this mission. He also has the exclusive claim from the one who overwhelmed him on the road to Damascus. Moreover, chief sinner that he is, Paul has the deep desire to share this good news as one who has experienced God's grace firsthand.
Paul didn't go into Athens and see that they have enough gods or that they have their own religion or that they seemed content in their beliefs and then excuse himself to go on somewhere else. He knew that they were false gods and wooden idols and stone altars that were stone cold. He knew that they were lost and helpless without Jesus. He knew that they needed Jesus.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
In 2001, at a church-wide assembly, one major, mainline denomination commissioned a task force to affirm the lordship of Jesus and that he is the way to salvation. That's odd. Why would a church have to study that? Isn't that a given? Isn't that a fundamental belief? Why do you have to study something like that? Because there is a faction who believes otherwise. There is a faction that believes the church is bigoted, narrow-minded, and exclusive. Are they?
It is offensive, isn't it? It was designed to be so. If you are not offended, you haven't heard the gospel. You haven't confronted the cross, because the cross is offensive. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1, "Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" (vv. 22-23).
In America, we have developed a mountaintop theology that says that we are all on a quest. No matter our origin of birth or our religion of choice, we are all on different quests to the top of that same mountain. It doesn't matter what path you take because they were all leading to the same place. Multiple paths, one summit. Sounds inclusive. Sounds American. The problem is, it does not reflect Paul's actions in Acts 17. Paul knows that he serves a jealous God who does not tolerate any other gods in his midst.
We should all defend the right of any Muslim or Jew or Buddhist to worship without restriction, with complete freedom, however they see fit, but that right is a guarantee of freedom, not truth -- tolerance, not salvation.
The struggle will be to preach in a nonjudgmental way that turns the attention back to Jesus. He is what makes Christianity unique. Moses is dead. Mohammad is dead. Confucius is dead. Nietzsche is dead. Jesus lives.
However, Jesus' resurrection is not what makes him unique. Other people were resurrected. It is rare, but Jesus resurrected Lazarus and Elijah resurrected a young boy. So we can't say that Jesus is the only one resurrected from the dead. What makes him unique is that he is the only person who walked this earth without spot, without blemish, without sin. That's what makes him unique. That's what makes him the only path to the top of that summit. He is the only one who qualifies to take away our sins.
That's the difference. The one without sin came to take on my sin so that when I take my final breath and the long list of my sins are read from the book of life, I am declared righteous, because he is righteous, and has fulfill the demands of the law for my sake... and yours.
No one else can do that -- except one.
ANOTHER VIEW
We Have an Advocate!
Paul Bresnahan
John 14:15-21
The Associated Press recently reported a story called "Billable Hours for the Soul." The story is about 350 lawyers who descended upon the west Texas town of San Angelo to defend 416 children and their parents who were caught up in the accusations and counter-accusations surrounding a polygamist sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While the Mormon Church in Salt Lake City repudiates the practice of polygamy, there are still those who hang on to these older ways. What interests me is the role of advocate that these attorneys play and how they play it "pro bono" on behalf of these youngsters.
Whatever the merits of the case, it is reassuring to see so many attorneys rise to the occasion of advocacy almost "spontaneously," as it were. Some years ago, I needed some legal help when trying to put together a homeless shelter. The problems were all the machinations of zoning and "neighborly" objections to having "objectionables" living so close to several residences. There were no sites that were acceptable to all, and no matter how hard we tried to find such a site we were met at every juncture by legal objection. Finally several attorneys appeared to provide some advocacy for the homeless and in due course we were on our way toward providing a place for the "least of these" to rest their heads along with the rest of us.
We are told in today's gospel that Jesus would ask the Father to send us yet another Advocate to intercede on our behalf before the host of heaven. This is no one-sided affair, however, in which the interests of the client are put before the truth. Indeed, this advocate is the Spirit of the truth itself. It appears that when we acknowledge the truth about ourselves, our advocate can then make the case for our perfect forgiveness and reconciliation. As the scripture puts it sublimely in another place in John's theological approach to the gospel, "If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:1-2).
Why would Jesus speed his way on our behalf to be our advocate? After all, were we not yet sinners? It is in this very fact that the mystery of our atonement lies. Here is the good news: Jesus loves us and gave himself for us even before we had any inkling that we needed salvation. As Paul puts it in his letter to the Christians in Rome, "But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life. But more than that, we even boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation" (Romans 5:8-11).
It is interesting to me that we have become so accustomed to harsh voices of judgment that we forget the good news of God's love for the sinner. So much of what passes for gospel these days on the mass media is not good news at all; it is very much bad news.
It is said that we live in a litigious time. Trial lawyers are often roundly vilified by the public. There is no end of "lawyer jokes" to testify to that fact! We can have a lot of fun at the expense of lawyers, perhaps a bit unfairly. Our advocate is not a one-sided practitioner of legal loopholes and minutiae of the art of circumlocution.
The advocate we have is none other than the Holy Spirit in the person of Jesus Christ the righteous. At the core of the work of the Holy Spirit is the presentation of the truth. And beside the truth, there is also forgiveness. The atonement is based, we're told by John, on the willingness of Jesus to pay the price for the sins of the whole world. This brings forgiveness. Along with our Lord's power over death is his victory over sin as well.
Moreover, there is still more to the good news of Jesus that we proclaim in the resurrection season of Easter. As we await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost who is to be our advocate, we receive the gift of eternal life, the forgiveness of our sins, and still one more thing: the ministry of reconciliation. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 5:18 and 19, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us."
That is quite an advocate, when you think about it. Jesus doesn't just plead our case to get us "off the hook." He genuinely wants us to be reconciled with God and with one another. Jesus wants us to be "one" as he and the Father are one. He wants to give us forgiveness to make us free to do God's will without guilt. He wants to give us eternal life. That, my friends, is an Advocate, par excellence. If we were to find ourselves so forgiven, reconciled, and born to eternal life, imagine the joy we'd know. It would be nothing short of the joy of God!
ILLUSTRATIONS
When we are responding to the issue of other faiths and the response of Christians to them, it is wise to recall Jesus' first encounter with people of another faith. In Matthew 2:1-12, there is the story of the visit of the wise men. For Christians, it is important to recall that the first people to recognize and demonstrate submission to Jesus were these men from another culture and faith. These visitors from the east were the ones to announce to Israel and its leadership that a Messiah had been born. As we consider how to relate to other faiths, it is wise to be humble enough to consider the possibility that the other faith might teach us something about our own faith.
* * *
"There are those who prefer certainty to truth, those in church who put the purity of dogma ahead of the integrity of love. And what distortion of the gospel it is to have limited sympathies and unlimited certainties, when the very reverse -- to have limited certainties and unlimited sympathies -- is not only more tolerant but far more Christian."
-- William Sloane Coffin, Credo (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox, 2003) p. 144
* * *
"Last October 138 Muslim scholars and clerics released a statement titled 'A Common Word Between Us and You.' The statement declared that, 'The future of the world depends on peace between Muslims and Christians,' the basis of which can be found in 'the very foundational principles of both faiths: love of the One God and love of neighbor.' " (Reported in the April 2008 issue of Sojourners, p. 8.) Should we look to people in other faiths to see signs of God's reconciling love operating in the world?
"(W)e must not presume to prejudge the last judgment. We know a few things, but they are enough: that the call of God is to all men; that those whom He chooses to convert are few; and that those few are chosen not for themselves but for the sake of all. If they forget that, they will be rejected."
-- Lesslie Newbigin, quoted in George R. Hunsberger, Bearing the Witness of the Spirit (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998)
* * *
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever" (John 14:16).
Martin Luther says, "Here we must note in what a friendly and comforting manner Christ speaks to all poor, saddened hearts and fearful, timid consciences. He shows us how we may truly recognize the Holy Spirit. We must learn to know and believe in the Holy Spirit as Christ describes him. His is not a Spirit of anger and terror but a Spirit of grace and consolation. We are to know that the entire Deity reflects sheer comfort."
-- Martin Luther, "Sermons on the Gospel of John (1537)," Luther's Works 24 (St. Louis, Missouri: Concordia Publishing House, 1976) p. 103
* * *
"Jesus said to the disciples: 'If you love me, you will keep my commandments' " (John 14:15).
Oswald Chambers says, "Our Lord never insists upon obedience; he tells us very emphatically what we ought to do, but he never takes means to make us do it. We have to obey him out of a oneness of spirit. That is why whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, he prefaced it with an IF -- you do not need to unless you like. 'If any will be my disciple, let them deny themselves, let them give up their right to themselves to me.'
"The Lord does not give me any rules; he makes his standard very clear, and if my relationship to him is that of love, I will do what he says."
-- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour, 1963) p. 307 (edited for inclusivity)
* * *
Jesus makes a tremendous promise to us in the last verse of our gospel text today. He says, "They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them" (John 14:21).
Jesus tells us that, if we keep his commandments, he's going to reveal himself to us. What an amazing thought! He's going to reveal himself! How is he going to do this? Probably not by showing himself to us is a form that our physical eyes can see. More likely in a calm assurance within us that he is, that he is with us at all times, and that he loves us beyond any love that we can imagine and calls us to do his work with him.
Life can't possibly get any better than that!
In Old Hawaii, it was the practice to isolate lepers from the rest of the population, primarily in the leper colony at Kalaupapa. The Hawaiian word kokua was used to describe a close friend or family member who would sometimes accompany a leper into the settlement.
Once the kokua had entered the settlement, he or she never left. Those who chose to be a kokua were effectively giving their lives for the other person, to see to his or her needs. They cast their lot entirely with one who was an outcast forever. When it came time to translate the Bible into Hawaiian, the translators were looking for a word to describe the concept of the Holy Spirit as advocate. The word they chose was kokua.
* * *
What do you suppose Paul would say if he showed up not on the Areopagus in ancient Athens, but in Times Square? What if he undertook his teaching not on the brow of a Greek hill surrounded by temples, but rather inside a Starbucks, handing out mocha lattes all round?
"Americans, I see how extremely religious you are, in every way," Paul might begin. But instead of speaking of temples to unknown gods, he might say something like this: "I have observed how many of you are fond of saying, 'I'm spiritual, but not religious.' I'm aware how increasing numbers of you never cross the threshold of a church or synagogue or even a mosque, but spend hours browsing religious books at Barnes and Noble. Many of you wear crosses around your necks, but hardly know why: You finger them in moments of fear or anxiety, and feel vaguely comforted. You sit at home, channel-surfing the televangelists and religious talk shows, hoping to glean some spiritual comfort; but you never linger long enough to submit yourselves to their teachings. You have an insistent curiosity about things religious, and vow that one day you will do something about it. But somehow you never find the time... you just never find the time."
* * *
Every public opinion poll indicates that Americans are among the most spiritually curious people on earth. Church attendance may be down across the country, but sales of religious books are up. Those who compile internet statistics say that a surprisingly large number of web hits take place on religious sites. In choosing among political candidates on the right or the left, large majorities of Americans believe itís important that our leaders demonstrate some religious commitment. When a religious phenomenon breaks out in the news media -- be it Mel Gibsonís The Passion of the Christ, or the religious proclivities of presidential candidates -- Americans follow these stories with tremendous interest. Were Paul alive today, he would probably see the American religious landscape not as a bleak desert, but rather as a wild and fertile wilderness waiting to be cultivated.
WORSHIP RESOURCE
Call To Worship
Leader: We have come to seek God
People: who is not as far from us
as we might imagine.
Leader: We have come to meet God
People: who knows us better
than even we can imagine.
Leader: We have come to worship God
People: who has done more for us
than we could dare imagine.
Prayer Of The Day
Steadfast Love,
you live and breathe life into us;
life that can gentle
the cries of a baby
and the fears of a teenager;
life that can revere creation
and honor a grandparent;
life that can bring hope to the lost,
and healing to those who suffer.
Because you are the Christ,
Child of God,
we know who we are:
those who can be friends
to the rejected of the world;
those who can be joy
to all who have endured loss;
those who can be companions
to those whose feet have slipped off the way.
Gift of Grace,
you move gently in us:
so our weakness
may give strength;
so our stuttering words
may bear witness to your love;
so our feeble songs of praise
might echo in the hallways of heaven.
God in Community, Holy in One,
live, and move, and be in us,
even as we pray as we have been taught,
Our Father...
Call To Reconciliation
God invites us to pray, to lift our words, and even our silence. Let us confess our sins to the One who does not reject our prayers, but welcomes them.
Unison Prayer Of Confession
How often we act as if we do not know you, God of all people! We claim to love Jesus, but we treat those dearest to us as if they were strangers in our house. We orphan neighbors and friends, by not welcoming them into our lives. We are given the Spirit of truth, yet we are filled with deceit and speak lie upon lie.
Even as we speak of how we have not lived as your people, we will account for the hope that is in us: the hope of mercy, the hope of renewal, the hope of faithfulness in following Jesus Christ, who brings us to you, Blessing God.
Silence is kept
Assurance Of Pardon
Leader: God's constant love has not been taken from us, but is poured out, grace upon grace, into our lives.
People: Because Christ lives, we will live;
because Christ serves, we will serve;
because Christ loves, we will love.
Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Good or bad?
Object: a candle, a box of matches
1 Peter 3:13-22
For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. (v. 17)
Good morning, boys and girls. What do your father and mother teach you about matches? (let them answer) Don't play with matches! That is something that every mother and father teaches their children.
Playing with matches can be very dangerous, can't it? What happens if you are not very careful with matches? (let them answer) That's right, you can start a fire and burn down your house or burn yourself if you are not really careful.
What else can you do with matches that can be good? (let them answer) You light a candle but you still have to be careful. (light the candle) What does a candle do? (let them answer) A candle gives us light when it is dark. If we lose our electricity because of a storm then a candle can give us enough light to see. We can still burn ourselves lighting candles if we are not careful.
There are a lot of things that are good and bad. They are good if we use them the right way and bad if we use them the wrong way. Medicine is good if we take just the right amount but it can be very bad if we take more than we are supposed to take, or if we take someone else's medicine.
Driving a car can be good if we are a safe driver, but if we are not safe drivers then we can have a wreck and hurt a lot of people.
God tells us that not everything is safe. Sometimes the things that we think are good can still make us hurt. Loving someone very much can hurt if they leave you and move away. Your heart really hurts but you still love them and hope that the hurt goes away. Helping poor people can be a really good thing but when we see how the poor suffer, we hurt inside.
That kind of suffering or hurt is a good pain, even if we feel bad. Just like a match can do good things or bad things. The same match that lights a candle can cause a fire or burn a person.
The next time you take a look at a match I want you to think about good hurting and bad hurting. We should always choose doing good things even if we hurt and never do bad things that also cause hurt. Amen.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 27, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
