Do You Hear What I Hear?
Sermon
Sermons On The Second Readings
For Sundays In Advent, Christmas, And Epiphany
I'm a bird lover, and spring time is prime time to get excited about our feathered friends. This past week I watched as robins and other birds scrounged bits of straw and other stringy things from my garden. It is nest building time!
If you've ever built a house you know the amount of time and effort it takes. Countless hours examining huge books of wall paper samples, floor plans, paint colors and on and on. So many decisions. What sort of house will it be?
Birds have it much easier. Each species of bird only makes one kind of nest. One kind. I have often thought, when peering through a pine tree at a robin's nest, that here I am, a reasonably intelligent man with lots of schooling and degrees, yet I could never make a robin's nest that would hold together and stay in a tree, unless, of course, I was allowed to use duct tape! The passing on of the skill of building a particular kind of nest from generation to generation of birds is truly an awe-inspiring miracle. If that skill were to be lost somehow -- well, it would be catastrophic.
Since the crisis with China over the airplane incident, the Olympics have been talked about a lot, especially regarding China's desire to host the 2008 Olympics. One of the most dramatic moments that happens again and again in the Summer Olympics is the passing of the baton during relay races. What an exciting and anxious moment it is when the athletes exchange that baton! A sloppy hand-off loses precious seconds. A dropped baton will most likely cost the team the race altogether.
Passing on genes for nest building and the passing of the baton are great images symbolizing the important process of passing on vital skills and traditions and information.
One of the most difficult and in some cases discouraging things about being a parent is the tremendous challenge of passing on precious traditions and truths to our children, especially matters of faith. In fact, one of the most typical ways for children to rebel is precisely by rejecting the traditional celebration of our faith and involvement in the church.
This process is not new, of course, nor is its difficulty. We might wish that the passing on of faith in God might be as automatic as the process of building a nest for a robin or a hummingbird or a Baltimore oriole. But we know that the passing on of faith is a personal thing, and cannot be forced on someone. That includes passing on the old, old story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Saint Paul was concerned about this matter of communicating the gospel message when he wrote to the Corinthians, "Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:1-2 RSV).
Saint Paul understood the process of transferring the life-changing Good News of the living Christ, which centered in the Easter story, the resurrection of Jesus, to others who knew nothing about it.
He divided this process up into five different phases. Think about how this process has worked or has not worked in your life: preaching, receiving, standing, being saved, and holding fast.
First there's the preaching of the Gospel. It needs to be communicated. He speaks of this basic task in his letter to the Romans, chapter 10. "How," he writes, "are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?" (v. 14). The task of clearly communicating the gospel is critical to passing it on to others. This includes preaching, small group studies, retreats, and the full repertoire of opportunities the church affords.
Secondly there is the receiving of the message. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, is there any sound? If the gospel is preached and no one is there to hear the message, has anything of significance happened? It is a worthwhile enterprise to find effective ways of securing a hearing in these days. It is a valid focus to question the assumption that it's "normal" for two thirds of a typical Christian congregation not to be present on a typical Sunday to hear and celebrate the message of God's saving action in Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, writes Saint Paul, after one has heard or received the message of the gospel, one must stand in it. There's a great German phrase, "zur Kenntnis nehmen." It means "to acknowledge something." It often is a way of deflecting a criticism or warning. "Okay, I hear you, but don't expect me to take any action on it or be affected by your words."
To stand in the gospel is to receive it and allow it to influence your life. To stand in it is to stand against that which would deny the gospel. To stand in it is not to go with the crowd. It is tough for a teenager to stand in the gospel today. The pressures are enormous to move in every other direction but the Christian walk. And of course one could say the same for adults.
Fourthly, the process of passing on the gospel is to have that wonderful joy of knowing you have been saved from a life of dead-end materialism to a life of hope and vitality and meaning, both in this life and the next, a life that will not lose its luster no matter how many toys you have or do not have, a life that finds meaning in loving and serving God and neighbor above all else.
And finally, Saint Paul says, all of the above will only happen if we hold fast to the gospel message. I hate to interrupt the flow of our thinking with something like football, but it's almost impossible to think about holding fast to something without thinking about "job one" for a running back on a football team. What is job one? That's right: it's simply holding on to the ball. And what is the job of the defense? To try to knock the ball out of the runner's grasp.
There is a whole world of influences today trying in subtle and not so subtle ways to pry our grip loose from the gospel by which we live, the gospel which Jesus' resurrection validated and brought to life again. Saint Paul wrote, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received...." He was saying it was now the responsibility and the privilege of those who heard that message to receive it, to stand in it, to rejoice in having been saved by it, and to hold on to it for dear life!
I am reading a great book by Jerry Linenger called Off The Planet, the story of his five months in the Mir space station. Listen to what he wrote in his introduction:
I wrote this book mainly because five months in space aboard Mir was one great adventure. I want my children to be able to read about it someday, to know what their father did, stood for, and was willing to sacrifice. I want them to be able to feel what it was like up there. My goal was to take them there with me.
Mr. Linenger wanted his children to hear what he heard, to feel what he felt. It was that life-changing for him.
This is the kind of enthusiasm Saint Paul was calling for among the Corinthians. It had changed his life and he couldn't stand the thought of the message of new life in Christ being taken casually. Our task and our joy today is to stand boldly in that faith when we walk out of these doors and into the emotional, complicated, and stress-filled days of our lives. By the grace of God and the support of the community of faith, we can do it.
He is risen! He is risen indeed. Thanks be to God.
If you've ever built a house you know the amount of time and effort it takes. Countless hours examining huge books of wall paper samples, floor plans, paint colors and on and on. So many decisions. What sort of house will it be?
Birds have it much easier. Each species of bird only makes one kind of nest. One kind. I have often thought, when peering through a pine tree at a robin's nest, that here I am, a reasonably intelligent man with lots of schooling and degrees, yet I could never make a robin's nest that would hold together and stay in a tree, unless, of course, I was allowed to use duct tape! The passing on of the skill of building a particular kind of nest from generation to generation of birds is truly an awe-inspiring miracle. If that skill were to be lost somehow -- well, it would be catastrophic.
Since the crisis with China over the airplane incident, the Olympics have been talked about a lot, especially regarding China's desire to host the 2008 Olympics. One of the most dramatic moments that happens again and again in the Summer Olympics is the passing of the baton during relay races. What an exciting and anxious moment it is when the athletes exchange that baton! A sloppy hand-off loses precious seconds. A dropped baton will most likely cost the team the race altogether.
Passing on genes for nest building and the passing of the baton are great images symbolizing the important process of passing on vital skills and traditions and information.
One of the most difficult and in some cases discouraging things about being a parent is the tremendous challenge of passing on precious traditions and truths to our children, especially matters of faith. In fact, one of the most typical ways for children to rebel is precisely by rejecting the traditional celebration of our faith and involvement in the church.
This process is not new, of course, nor is its difficulty. We might wish that the passing on of faith in God might be as automatic as the process of building a nest for a robin or a hummingbird or a Baltimore oriole. But we know that the passing on of faith is a personal thing, and cannot be forced on someone. That includes passing on the old, old story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Saint Paul was concerned about this matter of communicating the gospel message when he wrote to the Corinthians, "Now I would remind you, brethren, in what terms I preached to you the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, by which you are saved, if you hold it fast -- unless you believed in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:1-2 RSV).
Saint Paul understood the process of transferring the life-changing Good News of the living Christ, which centered in the Easter story, the resurrection of Jesus, to others who knew nothing about it.
He divided this process up into five different phases. Think about how this process has worked or has not worked in your life: preaching, receiving, standing, being saved, and holding fast.
First there's the preaching of the Gospel. It needs to be communicated. He speaks of this basic task in his letter to the Romans, chapter 10. "How," he writes, "are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher?" (v. 14). The task of clearly communicating the gospel is critical to passing it on to others. This includes preaching, small group studies, retreats, and the full repertoire of opportunities the church affords.
Secondly there is the receiving of the message. If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, is there any sound? If the gospel is preached and no one is there to hear the message, has anything of significance happened? It is a worthwhile enterprise to find effective ways of securing a hearing in these days. It is a valid focus to question the assumption that it's "normal" for two thirds of a typical Christian congregation not to be present on a typical Sunday to hear and celebrate the message of God's saving action in Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, writes Saint Paul, after one has heard or received the message of the gospel, one must stand in it. There's a great German phrase, "zur Kenntnis nehmen." It means "to acknowledge something." It often is a way of deflecting a criticism or warning. "Okay, I hear you, but don't expect me to take any action on it or be affected by your words."
To stand in the gospel is to receive it and allow it to influence your life. To stand in it is to stand against that which would deny the gospel. To stand in it is not to go with the crowd. It is tough for a teenager to stand in the gospel today. The pressures are enormous to move in every other direction but the Christian walk. And of course one could say the same for adults.
Fourthly, the process of passing on the gospel is to have that wonderful joy of knowing you have been saved from a life of dead-end materialism to a life of hope and vitality and meaning, both in this life and the next, a life that will not lose its luster no matter how many toys you have or do not have, a life that finds meaning in loving and serving God and neighbor above all else.
And finally, Saint Paul says, all of the above will only happen if we hold fast to the gospel message. I hate to interrupt the flow of our thinking with something like football, but it's almost impossible to think about holding fast to something without thinking about "job one" for a running back on a football team. What is job one? That's right: it's simply holding on to the ball. And what is the job of the defense? To try to knock the ball out of the runner's grasp.
There is a whole world of influences today trying in subtle and not so subtle ways to pry our grip loose from the gospel by which we live, the gospel which Jesus' resurrection validated and brought to life again. Saint Paul wrote, "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received...." He was saying it was now the responsibility and the privilege of those who heard that message to receive it, to stand in it, to rejoice in having been saved by it, and to hold on to it for dear life!
I am reading a great book by Jerry Linenger called Off The Planet, the story of his five months in the Mir space station. Listen to what he wrote in his introduction:
I wrote this book mainly because five months in space aboard Mir was one great adventure. I want my children to be able to read about it someday, to know what their father did, stood for, and was willing to sacrifice. I want them to be able to feel what it was like up there. My goal was to take them there with me.
Mr. Linenger wanted his children to hear what he heard, to feel what he felt. It was that life-changing for him.
This is the kind of enthusiasm Saint Paul was calling for among the Corinthians. It had changed his life and he couldn't stand the thought of the message of new life in Christ being taken casually. Our task and our joy today is to stand boldly in that faith when we walk out of these doors and into the emotional, complicated, and stress-filled days of our lives. By the grace of God and the support of the community of faith, we can do it.
He is risen! He is risen indeed. Thanks be to God.
