The Acceptable Time
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series II, Cycle B
When Paul arrived at the city of Corinth, Greece, the middle of the first century A.D., he knew he had a challenge on his hands. Located on the isthmus between the Gulf of Corinth and the Saronic Gulf, Corinth was a prosperous port city where boats were transported overland from the Aegean to the Adriatic, thereby cutting many dangerous miles off their voyage. The marketplace abounded with goods and traders from many lands. Though never known as a center of learning, traveling philosophers and teachers attempted to gain a hearing and earn a living. But Corinth was a place of commerce, and the speculative life common to Athens was more difficult to find in Corinth.
There was religion at Corinth, however, plenty of it. Years earlier the city had boasted its giant temple to Aphrodite, fertility goddess of the Greco-Roman world. Situated atop the rocky mountain behind the city, the temple enjoyed a commanding view of the harbor and the city. Hundreds of sacred prostitutes were kept busy by the endless flow of traders, businessmen, and worshipers. Indeed, Corinth still had, in Paul's day, a reputation for being a wide open town where one could enjoy most every sin known to man.
Following his usual custom, Paul made his way to the synagogue and there began his message -- the message that the long-awaited New Age had arrived. The Messiah has come, he announced to his skeptical audience. Citing the prophecies of the Old Testament, he attempted to show that they had been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
Noting the expressions of disbelief on the faces of his hearers, Paul acknowledged that he, too, had once been skeptical and unbelieving. In fact, he had even persecuted the followers of Jesus, hoping to put an end to the troublesome heresy. Once he had regarded Jesus from a human point of view, but he regarded him as such no longer. A radical change had occurred in his life. The living Christ had appeared to him and had commissioned him to preach the good news that the New Age had come, that the kingdom of God had arrived. And since that time he had become a new creation; the old had passed away, the new had come.
Paul soon found himself thrown out of the synagogue, but he continued his preaching in the house of Titius Justus where he converted Crispus, ruler of the synagogue. But a year and a half later the Jews brought charges against Paul and he was brought to the tribunal to stand trial before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia.
Most of the people of Corinth did not believe Paul. They were not aware they were listening to a man who was changing history. Engrossed in the activities of the day, engaged in business and commerce, indulging themselves in pleasure, they, like Jerusalem before them, were not aware of the hour of their visitation. Consequently, Paul kept reminding the Corinthian Christians that now is the acceptable time to believe the gospel of the New Age.
Paul's message to them was not just one more of the many philosophical or theological ideas floating around at the time. Instead, the God of whom he spoke was the God of the universe who had acted in time, within the realm of history, to change forever the course of history. His message was not just one of many to think about or be entertained with. Instead it was the message of urgency. The acceptable time, the crucial time of salvation had arrived.
I
This is the acceptable time to believe the gospel, because we have the time now. Tomorrow may not be ours.
We know from our own experience how easy it is to procrastinate, how easy it is to put off important decisions, how easy it is to neglect significant opportunities. People involved in business and investments know the importance of timing. How many of us have regretted we did not invest in a certain piece of real estate a few years ago? Or how many of us bought at the top of a bull market and sold at the bottom of a bear market? Hindsight, as we all know, is 20/20 vision.
Think of opportunities missed. Here is a young man just out of college. He passes up a good career opportunity holding out for something just a little bit better. Here is a woman, who in her eighties, confided she passed up the opportunity to marry the man she loved and ended up years later with someone who was really second choice. The time for her opportunity came and went.
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (Act IV, scene 3), we have the immortal words we know to be true:
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries:
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Shakespeare was writing very much in the mood of Paul and the prophets. Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation.
If today the Spirit of God is speaking to us, let us open up and hear his voice. If today we feel the winds of God in our beings, let them cleanse us of apathy and refresh us with their power and energy. We have today. Tomorrow may not be ours. This is the acceptable time.
II
This is the acceptable time, because if we wait for the perfect time, the perfect minister, and the perfect church, we will wait forever.
Paul had a lot of critics, even in the Corinthian church, who challenged his authority as an apostle, who questioned his methods, and who disputed his teachings. The critics notwithstanding, Paul pointed out how he and his associates had not put any obstacles in their way for believing.
He had undergone shipwreck, imprisonment, mockery, beatings, hunger, afflictions, hardships, and many sleepless nights to bring them the gospel. The suffering, the deprivations, and self-sacrifice should have convinced them of their sincerity. Unlike many traveling teachers and philosophers of Paul's day who were out to entertain, Paul was out to save.
In addition to his sufferings, Paul said they came among the Corinthians with integrity, kindness, forbearance, truthful speech, the power of God, and genuine love. Unlike many would-be leaders of the day who fleeced their flock whenever they could, Paul and his associates gave everything they could.
Paul knew the waywardness and fickleness of the human heart. Many in Corinth were making excuses for themselves, saying Paul's letters were strong but his personal sermons weak, therefore they would not heed them. Looking for a flaw in Paul and his style of approach, they neglected the time of their salvation.
People haven't changed much. In one church, a lady could never really hear her minister because he didn't dress quite according to her standard. In another church, a woman ignored the minister's essential message because he mispronounced a word. In another church, a man would not really listen to the minister because he had not gone to an acceptable seminary. Of course, ministers should dress properly, use good diction, and be well-educated. But the message they bring is more important than that.
Some people say they some day will come to church, some day change their ways, and some day really get involved as soon as the church packages its program in a better way. Other people say they would come to the church more if they really knew what was happening. Do you read the bulletin, they were asked? Everything is printed there. Well sometimes, but we need more information. So in an effort to inform people, the church sent out brochures, letters, and flyers. And what do you think people said then? They said, why are you sending out all those mailings? Doesn't it cost a lot of money?
People continue to make excuses. If the church would do this or not do that, we would come. If the minister would say this and not that, we would respond to the message. If religion would just have this emphasis rather than that one. If the church just had a better music program, or youth program, or education program, or woman's program, or preaching program -- if it just had something better, we would respond with commitment in time and money.
But many churches could say with Paul, we put no obstacle in any woman's way. True, we are not perfect. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, not perfect heavenly ones. Yet, we are bearers of the treasure, agents of the message of salvation, and if you are hearing the word, now is the acceptable time of salvation. If you wait for the minister or church or program to be perfect, you will wait forever. After all, if it were a perfect church, could you get in? Today is the day.
III
Lastly Paul says, our mouths are open to you; therefore widen your hearts to us. We have given everything for your sake. Now it is time for you to respond in generosity and love, says Paul.
The ministry was not easy for Paul. Highly competent himself, he saw people of far less ability and stature receive all he had to offer, and use it to their advantage, and give nothing in return. Having denied for himself the things that make for worldly prestige, he often was treated as a nobody by those who owed their very souls to him. Devoted to the high calling of the kingdom of God and its righteousness, he witnessed the ongoing self-indulgence and immorality among those who professed faith but did little about it. In another place he speaks sarcastically of the Corinthians growing rich and powerful and pompous while at the same time snubbing their noses at Paul and his associates who had served them to the point of exhaustion.
Even yet many people do not want their children to enter the ministry because they do not hold the office in respect. People will use the good graces of a minister to win acceptance in a church and then ignore him. Many want to receive all that the church and ministry offer, but will not contribute a son or daughter to full-time Christian work. Speak of sending the brightest son or daughter into the ministry, and the prospects of long hours, low pay, and exploitation of dedication send many parents into convulsions of apoplexy. Others say, that if their son or daughter is going to get involved in church politics, he or she might as well get involved in politics that really matter, where real power and money are involved.
This is the acceptable time to believe and to respond to the grace and generosity of the gospel and the church. And that is not the message of Paul alone, but the message of the church of the ages. Think of the church's approach to us through art and architecture, through literature and philosophy, through theology and service, through helpfulness and compassion, through music. The history of the church and its ministry is one of openness and generosity. We are beneficiaries of an enormous inheritance, and now is the time for us to open up in gratitude and faithfulness, in obedience and service. Now is the opportunity for the new day. This is the acceptable time.
There was religion at Corinth, however, plenty of it. Years earlier the city had boasted its giant temple to Aphrodite, fertility goddess of the Greco-Roman world. Situated atop the rocky mountain behind the city, the temple enjoyed a commanding view of the harbor and the city. Hundreds of sacred prostitutes were kept busy by the endless flow of traders, businessmen, and worshipers. Indeed, Corinth still had, in Paul's day, a reputation for being a wide open town where one could enjoy most every sin known to man.
Following his usual custom, Paul made his way to the synagogue and there began his message -- the message that the long-awaited New Age had arrived. The Messiah has come, he announced to his skeptical audience. Citing the prophecies of the Old Testament, he attempted to show that they had been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
Noting the expressions of disbelief on the faces of his hearers, Paul acknowledged that he, too, had once been skeptical and unbelieving. In fact, he had even persecuted the followers of Jesus, hoping to put an end to the troublesome heresy. Once he had regarded Jesus from a human point of view, but he regarded him as such no longer. A radical change had occurred in his life. The living Christ had appeared to him and had commissioned him to preach the good news that the New Age had come, that the kingdom of God had arrived. And since that time he had become a new creation; the old had passed away, the new had come.
Paul soon found himself thrown out of the synagogue, but he continued his preaching in the house of Titius Justus where he converted Crispus, ruler of the synagogue. But a year and a half later the Jews brought charges against Paul and he was brought to the tribunal to stand trial before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia.
Most of the people of Corinth did not believe Paul. They were not aware they were listening to a man who was changing history. Engrossed in the activities of the day, engaged in business and commerce, indulging themselves in pleasure, they, like Jerusalem before them, were not aware of the hour of their visitation. Consequently, Paul kept reminding the Corinthian Christians that now is the acceptable time to believe the gospel of the New Age.
Paul's message to them was not just one more of the many philosophical or theological ideas floating around at the time. Instead, the God of whom he spoke was the God of the universe who had acted in time, within the realm of history, to change forever the course of history. His message was not just one of many to think about or be entertained with. Instead it was the message of urgency. The acceptable time, the crucial time of salvation had arrived.
I
This is the acceptable time to believe the gospel, because we have the time now. Tomorrow may not be ours.
We know from our own experience how easy it is to procrastinate, how easy it is to put off important decisions, how easy it is to neglect significant opportunities. People involved in business and investments know the importance of timing. How many of us have regretted we did not invest in a certain piece of real estate a few years ago? Or how many of us bought at the top of a bull market and sold at the bottom of a bear market? Hindsight, as we all know, is 20/20 vision.
Think of opportunities missed. Here is a young man just out of college. He passes up a good career opportunity holding out for something just a little bit better. Here is a woman, who in her eighties, confided she passed up the opportunity to marry the man she loved and ended up years later with someone who was really second choice. The time for her opportunity came and went.
In Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (Act IV, scene 3), we have the immortal words we know to be true:
There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries:
And we must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures.
Shakespeare was writing very much in the mood of Paul and the prophets. Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation.
If today the Spirit of God is speaking to us, let us open up and hear his voice. If today we feel the winds of God in our beings, let them cleanse us of apathy and refresh us with their power and energy. We have today. Tomorrow may not be ours. This is the acceptable time.
II
This is the acceptable time, because if we wait for the perfect time, the perfect minister, and the perfect church, we will wait forever.
Paul had a lot of critics, even in the Corinthian church, who challenged his authority as an apostle, who questioned his methods, and who disputed his teachings. The critics notwithstanding, Paul pointed out how he and his associates had not put any obstacles in their way for believing.
He had undergone shipwreck, imprisonment, mockery, beatings, hunger, afflictions, hardships, and many sleepless nights to bring them the gospel. The suffering, the deprivations, and self-sacrifice should have convinced them of their sincerity. Unlike many traveling teachers and philosophers of Paul's day who were out to entertain, Paul was out to save.
In addition to his sufferings, Paul said they came among the Corinthians with integrity, kindness, forbearance, truthful speech, the power of God, and genuine love. Unlike many would-be leaders of the day who fleeced their flock whenever they could, Paul and his associates gave everything they could.
Paul knew the waywardness and fickleness of the human heart. Many in Corinth were making excuses for themselves, saying Paul's letters were strong but his personal sermons weak, therefore they would not heed them. Looking for a flaw in Paul and his style of approach, they neglected the time of their salvation.
People haven't changed much. In one church, a lady could never really hear her minister because he didn't dress quite according to her standard. In another church, a woman ignored the minister's essential message because he mispronounced a word. In another church, a man would not really listen to the minister because he had not gone to an acceptable seminary. Of course, ministers should dress properly, use good diction, and be well-educated. But the message they bring is more important than that.
Some people say they some day will come to church, some day change their ways, and some day really get involved as soon as the church packages its program in a better way. Other people say they would come to the church more if they really knew what was happening. Do you read the bulletin, they were asked? Everything is printed there. Well sometimes, but we need more information. So in an effort to inform people, the church sent out brochures, letters, and flyers. And what do you think people said then? They said, why are you sending out all those mailings? Doesn't it cost a lot of money?
People continue to make excuses. If the church would do this or not do that, we would come. If the minister would say this and not that, we would respond to the message. If religion would just have this emphasis rather than that one. If the church just had a better music program, or youth program, or education program, or woman's program, or preaching program -- if it just had something better, we would respond with commitment in time and money.
But many churches could say with Paul, we put no obstacle in any woman's way. True, we are not perfect. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, not perfect heavenly ones. Yet, we are bearers of the treasure, agents of the message of salvation, and if you are hearing the word, now is the acceptable time of salvation. If you wait for the minister or church or program to be perfect, you will wait forever. After all, if it were a perfect church, could you get in? Today is the day.
III
Lastly Paul says, our mouths are open to you; therefore widen your hearts to us. We have given everything for your sake. Now it is time for you to respond in generosity and love, says Paul.
The ministry was not easy for Paul. Highly competent himself, he saw people of far less ability and stature receive all he had to offer, and use it to their advantage, and give nothing in return. Having denied for himself the things that make for worldly prestige, he often was treated as a nobody by those who owed their very souls to him. Devoted to the high calling of the kingdom of God and its righteousness, he witnessed the ongoing self-indulgence and immorality among those who professed faith but did little about it. In another place he speaks sarcastically of the Corinthians growing rich and powerful and pompous while at the same time snubbing their noses at Paul and his associates who had served them to the point of exhaustion.
Even yet many people do not want their children to enter the ministry because they do not hold the office in respect. People will use the good graces of a minister to win acceptance in a church and then ignore him. Many want to receive all that the church and ministry offer, but will not contribute a son or daughter to full-time Christian work. Speak of sending the brightest son or daughter into the ministry, and the prospects of long hours, low pay, and exploitation of dedication send many parents into convulsions of apoplexy. Others say, that if their son or daughter is going to get involved in church politics, he or she might as well get involved in politics that really matter, where real power and money are involved.
This is the acceptable time to believe and to respond to the grace and generosity of the gospel and the church. And that is not the message of Paul alone, but the message of the church of the ages. Think of the church's approach to us through art and architecture, through literature and philosophy, through theology and service, through helpfulness and compassion, through music. The history of the church and its ministry is one of openness and generosity. We are beneficiaries of an enormous inheritance, and now is the time for us to open up in gratitude and faithfulness, in obedience and service. Now is the opportunity for the new day. This is the acceptable time.
