Who Can You Trust?
Sermon
Big Lessons From Little-Known Letters
Second Lesson Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost (Middle Third) Cycle C
Eggs are good -- eggs are bad -- eggs are good if around two to three are eaten per week. Eggs are bad for you if you have high cholesterol. Yeah, right. How could something so simple and pure be so controversial?
At least every four to six months it seems as if eggs are making headlines. A definitive study "proves" the link between egg consumption and high cholesterol. The next study shatters that assumption. As of July, 1999, the latest report from Harvard seems to relax egg anxiety. They found that up to one egg per day was unlikely to increase the risk of either stroke or heart disease. So who can you trust?
We dare not debate the more sinister foods like fat, chocolate, salt, and alcohol, do we? Well, why not? Nutrition professor Judith Stern has defined chocolate as "an honorary vitamin." Apparently, the cocoa bean has nutrients that rival deep, green leafy plants. The substance found in those beans is termed phenylethylamine and has been found to improve mood by raising serotonin levels in the brain. Chocolate has also been linked to increasing the levels of HDL cholesterol in our bloodstream. Increased HDL levels of cholesterol help reduce artery plaque. Oh, really? Well, then, please pass the Hershey Bars!
One characteristic of chocolate that much of our congregation may relate to is premenstrual syndrome. Can you believe that some nutritionists recommend chocolate for easing the symptoms of PMS? If that were true, both sexes might be stocking the pantry with Hershey Bars.
How our bodies respond to the mysteries of food is complex. It's no wonder we are unsure about which study or expert we can trust. Perhaps we can look at something more objective and simple, like how causal dressing helps relieve stress -- or does it?
In 1998, The Wall Street Journal reported that dressing down could mean you might be messing up. That's because casual dress means different things to different people. The Journal says, "Casual dress codes vary widely, and the penalty for missteps gives new meaning to the term 'fashion victim.' " The article goes on to describe the current cultural tension facing casual dress. A story is related how business consultant Mike Blumenfeld misstepped in an interview with a blue jean-retailing client. Blumenfeld met the client for a lunch interview. The client criticized Mike's choice to wear a tie. The client persisted, and soon took a pair of scissors, cutting off the tie and handing Mike a twenty-dollar bill. The man then warned him, "Don't even wear a tie in my office again." Who can you trust?
The same problem rears its head when people overdress in today's culture. A Colorado schoolteacher named Susie Swafford thinks she was rejected for several jobs because she overdressed. During interviews she felt uneasy because the other people were clearly casual. She was tipped off when the word "model" was used to describe her. Later Susie was informed that she intimidated others with her appearance. Confusing, isn't it? We don't know what to eat, and we don't know what to wear. We can't even trust the stock market.
Take the plunge of August, 1998, for example. On July 17 that year the Dow peaked at 9337 points. Less than two months later, the market dove to 7539. The loss was one of the biggest point drops ever. Naturally, there is disagreement on where this market is headed. How long will the bull run until the bear rears up and growls? Who knows? So, who can you trust?
Trust as we know comes in an environment of stability and familiarity. Yet, in the twenty-first century those two anchors are becoming harder to find.
Work is work. Work for many of us is also the most stressful thing we do. Job security now means people demanding to know what you can offer them. When that clamoring for your skills is gone, so is your job security. Take Chuck Shochney for example. He's been a baseball park organist for years. Since 1993 he has played organ for the Colorado Rockies full time. But now he's been benched, except for Sundays because live organ music is being cut back in the ball field. The reason is simple, demographics. Ballpark leadership is committed to the future, and that future is not listening to organ music. They live and breathe rock. Poor Chuck, caught in the crossfire between generational preferences.
"We need the organ," said ball fan Jack Kirchoff. "I'm sick of listening to all the crap these kids listen to." Not so fast says seventeen-year old Jenny Smith. "The organ music is for old folks ... I want something more '90s." So who takes the hit? Primarily Chuck, because it is his livelihood. Even America's favorite pastime is in turmoil. Can we bank on anything staying stable?
The answer is yes, and it's found in Hebrews 13:8. That steady spot is Jesus Christ. He "is the same yesterday and today and forever." The writer uses "Jesus" and "Christ" together for a fuller impact. It is the "savior" (jesua), the "anointed one" (Christ) that we can count on being 100 percent consistent.
Consistent. Reliable. Stable. That's in contrast to dull, dry, and boring. Because "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" we have an anchor. We are all growing older each day, therefore changing. Yet, Jesus is meeting our new problems with his solid, unchanging promises. Trusting Christ's sameness is not like eating meatloaf everyday. It's more like tasting the endless variety of fruits and vegetables available to us. They are always different, but will always remain healthy food for bodies young and old.
Christ's eternal sameness stands out in contrast to the context of verses 1-7. In those verses we find a grocery list of friendly admonitions any Christian could expect. Keep loving, show hospitality, remember the imprisoned, and also don't forget to avoid those snares of sex and money. The reason? It's found in verse 8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Count on it, and so act accordingly in trust.
Verse 15 tells us how. We are to "continually offer a sacrifice of praise ... the fruit of lips that confess his name." When change is swirling around us like an F-5 tornado, we can freely worship the One who never changes. It's a promise echoed by three other biblical writers. They validate "yesterday," empower "today," and give confidence to our future "forever."
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday...." The apostle John in his first letter wrote: "We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands ... this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it ..." (1 John 1:1-2). Peter, another eyewitness to the truth in 2 Peter 1:16f, also confirms the historic truth of Jesus. What these two apostles are saying is that Jesus is genuine. That's who you can trust.
Jesus Christ is also the same today. He claims us just as he claimed Peter and John. Since Christ is "the way, the truth and the life," he makes a claim on our souls. Who is Jesus Christ to us here and now? Is he a close friend or a distant relative? Is Christ at our side, or is he simply a noble zealot preaching the Golden Rule? Because Christ is always the Son of God, we can always be ready to do some soul-searching.
God has planned and promised a future to all who confess Christ as Lord. A bright spot in that future will be his Second Coming. John describes that event in Revelation 1:7: "Look, he is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen."
We can count on the Christ who came to come again. And this Second Coming will be different. He came the first time as a suffering servant. He comes back as a conquering King. Same Son of God, different agenda for a different time.
There's a book available which humorously speaks to the uneasiness of our culture. It's written by Harold Brecher, and is titled Life is Uncertain ... Eat Dessert First! The self-help work is subtitled "Finding the Joy You Deserve." The book is all about changing our behavior patterns into an optimistic engagement with life.
Is the book a metaphor for our perpetual uncertainty about who we can trust? Look at the title again and think about our values. Are we eating dessert first by trusting in created things rather than the Creator? Are we too worried about eating eggs, fat, chocolate, salt, and drinking alcohol, while not being worried enough about the One who transcends it all? Diet sins can be forgiven. Sins against the Holy Spirit cannot.
Roger is an imaginative eight-year-old who was asked how to make love endure. He pondered the question and responded, "Don't forget your wife's name -- that will mess up the love." The same principle applies spiritually. Make that love last by remembering the promise: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." That's who you can trust!
At least every four to six months it seems as if eggs are making headlines. A definitive study "proves" the link between egg consumption and high cholesterol. The next study shatters that assumption. As of July, 1999, the latest report from Harvard seems to relax egg anxiety. They found that up to one egg per day was unlikely to increase the risk of either stroke or heart disease. So who can you trust?
We dare not debate the more sinister foods like fat, chocolate, salt, and alcohol, do we? Well, why not? Nutrition professor Judith Stern has defined chocolate as "an honorary vitamin." Apparently, the cocoa bean has nutrients that rival deep, green leafy plants. The substance found in those beans is termed phenylethylamine and has been found to improve mood by raising serotonin levels in the brain. Chocolate has also been linked to increasing the levels of HDL cholesterol in our bloodstream. Increased HDL levels of cholesterol help reduce artery plaque. Oh, really? Well, then, please pass the Hershey Bars!
One characteristic of chocolate that much of our congregation may relate to is premenstrual syndrome. Can you believe that some nutritionists recommend chocolate for easing the symptoms of PMS? If that were true, both sexes might be stocking the pantry with Hershey Bars.
How our bodies respond to the mysteries of food is complex. It's no wonder we are unsure about which study or expert we can trust. Perhaps we can look at something more objective and simple, like how causal dressing helps relieve stress -- or does it?
In 1998, The Wall Street Journal reported that dressing down could mean you might be messing up. That's because casual dress means different things to different people. The Journal says, "Casual dress codes vary widely, and the penalty for missteps gives new meaning to the term 'fashion victim.' " The article goes on to describe the current cultural tension facing casual dress. A story is related how business consultant Mike Blumenfeld misstepped in an interview with a blue jean-retailing client. Blumenfeld met the client for a lunch interview. The client criticized Mike's choice to wear a tie. The client persisted, and soon took a pair of scissors, cutting off the tie and handing Mike a twenty-dollar bill. The man then warned him, "Don't even wear a tie in my office again." Who can you trust?
The same problem rears its head when people overdress in today's culture. A Colorado schoolteacher named Susie Swafford thinks she was rejected for several jobs because she overdressed. During interviews she felt uneasy because the other people were clearly casual. She was tipped off when the word "model" was used to describe her. Later Susie was informed that she intimidated others with her appearance. Confusing, isn't it? We don't know what to eat, and we don't know what to wear. We can't even trust the stock market.
Take the plunge of August, 1998, for example. On July 17 that year the Dow peaked at 9337 points. Less than two months later, the market dove to 7539. The loss was one of the biggest point drops ever. Naturally, there is disagreement on where this market is headed. How long will the bull run until the bear rears up and growls? Who knows? So, who can you trust?
Trust as we know comes in an environment of stability and familiarity. Yet, in the twenty-first century those two anchors are becoming harder to find.
Work is work. Work for many of us is also the most stressful thing we do. Job security now means people demanding to know what you can offer them. When that clamoring for your skills is gone, so is your job security. Take Chuck Shochney for example. He's been a baseball park organist for years. Since 1993 he has played organ for the Colorado Rockies full time. But now he's been benched, except for Sundays because live organ music is being cut back in the ball field. The reason is simple, demographics. Ballpark leadership is committed to the future, and that future is not listening to organ music. They live and breathe rock. Poor Chuck, caught in the crossfire between generational preferences.
"We need the organ," said ball fan Jack Kirchoff. "I'm sick of listening to all the crap these kids listen to." Not so fast says seventeen-year old Jenny Smith. "The organ music is for old folks ... I want something more '90s." So who takes the hit? Primarily Chuck, because it is his livelihood. Even America's favorite pastime is in turmoil. Can we bank on anything staying stable?
The answer is yes, and it's found in Hebrews 13:8. That steady spot is Jesus Christ. He "is the same yesterday and today and forever." The writer uses "Jesus" and "Christ" together for a fuller impact. It is the "savior" (jesua), the "anointed one" (Christ) that we can count on being 100 percent consistent.
Consistent. Reliable. Stable. That's in contrast to dull, dry, and boring. Because "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" we have an anchor. We are all growing older each day, therefore changing. Yet, Jesus is meeting our new problems with his solid, unchanging promises. Trusting Christ's sameness is not like eating meatloaf everyday. It's more like tasting the endless variety of fruits and vegetables available to us. They are always different, but will always remain healthy food for bodies young and old.
Christ's eternal sameness stands out in contrast to the context of verses 1-7. In those verses we find a grocery list of friendly admonitions any Christian could expect. Keep loving, show hospitality, remember the imprisoned, and also don't forget to avoid those snares of sex and money. The reason? It's found in verse 8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Count on it, and so act accordingly in trust.
Verse 15 tells us how. We are to "continually offer a sacrifice of praise ... the fruit of lips that confess his name." When change is swirling around us like an F-5 tornado, we can freely worship the One who never changes. It's a promise echoed by three other biblical writers. They validate "yesterday," empower "today," and give confidence to our future "forever."
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday...." The apostle John in his first letter wrote: "We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands ... this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it ..." (1 John 1:1-2). Peter, another eyewitness to the truth in 2 Peter 1:16f, also confirms the historic truth of Jesus. What these two apostles are saying is that Jesus is genuine. That's who you can trust.
Jesus Christ is also the same today. He claims us just as he claimed Peter and John. Since Christ is "the way, the truth and the life," he makes a claim on our souls. Who is Jesus Christ to us here and now? Is he a close friend or a distant relative? Is Christ at our side, or is he simply a noble zealot preaching the Golden Rule? Because Christ is always the Son of God, we can always be ready to do some soul-searching.
God has planned and promised a future to all who confess Christ as Lord. A bright spot in that future will be his Second Coming. John describes that event in Revelation 1:7: "Look, he is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen."
We can count on the Christ who came to come again. And this Second Coming will be different. He came the first time as a suffering servant. He comes back as a conquering King. Same Son of God, different agenda for a different time.
There's a book available which humorously speaks to the uneasiness of our culture. It's written by Harold Brecher, and is titled Life is Uncertain ... Eat Dessert First! The self-help work is subtitled "Finding the Joy You Deserve." The book is all about changing our behavior patterns into an optimistic engagement with life.
Is the book a metaphor for our perpetual uncertainty about who we can trust? Look at the title again and think about our values. Are we eating dessert first by trusting in created things rather than the Creator? Are we too worried about eating eggs, fat, chocolate, salt, and drinking alcohol, while not being worried enough about the One who transcends it all? Diet sins can be forgiven. Sins against the Holy Spirit cannot.
Roger is an imaginative eight-year-old who was asked how to make love endure. He pondered the question and responded, "Don't forget your wife's name -- that will mess up the love." The same principle applies spiritually. Make that love last by remembering the promise: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." That's who you can trust!
