Sermon - 2015-03-15

Today, we are reminded of our ancient past. The past that still influences, shapes us,  and forms us every single day of our life. Yet we hear the one verse that so many know because our parents, grandparents, or the community around us has shared so often, that we know it well.  John 3:16 is for many the foundation of their faith because it is so well known. It is this one verse that summarizes the whole journey and relationship with God.  So let’s go on a journey, to be reminded of where our ancestors have been. We may learn from their mistakes to realize a truth that was standing right there before them.  

Within the Gospel, Jesus takes us to the time in which Moses is given to the People of God to deliver them out of slavery and into the promised land.  Along with that, Moses is given the Ten Commandments. The Laws of Moses were used by the people to give them order and structure.  However, the relationship with God’s Chosen People did not begin with Moses. It began with Abraham.  Abraham was selected by God for his heart and the way in which he lived out his life.  

Why is Moses remembered more than Abraham? He brought forth a law.  The law was something people could do but more importantly, something they could see within the community.  It was this accountability to which people often clung. People began to emphasize these laws in their community.  It was the Law of Moses that  defined the principles.  They became the symbol that formed the people of God. The Law became a measuring stick that people could see and measure their progress or success in their relationship with God.  However, the Law is the outward appearance and NOT the very heart.  It is the outer shell of a person and does not give things life.  These laws maintain constant judgement to a person or community in which they live.

Now this reminds me of a story.  A story of two men, well boys really, because they grew up within the same church.  As they grew, their parents brought them to church, they went to Sunday School.  Both of the boys were very good at attending.  As the boys grew they went to Confirmation, however then the two were not in church much. As time went on, the boys pursued their paths in life.  The first man, started a grocery store in town. The store grew and soon the man was able to have a chain of stores.  The stores grew into the largest chain of grocery stores within the nation.  Many people wanted to find out what the man’s secret was and he would tell people.  Disciple and following God’s laws for me.  He was a hardworking and stearn man within his work and life.  The second man started a hardware store within the town.  However, he was called into service to defend his nation.  When he went to war, he saw things that he wish he could have forgotten but couldn’t.  When he came back to town, he could not live in a home.  He felt trapped and uneasy so he lived his days on the street.  Many people knew him there, not by his name but simply as the Tent Maker.  He went around sharing the items that he had received from the shelters that day.  He would often make a place for others to stay at night to get out of the cold.  When people asked him why he did it, he would reply with, I always heard that Jesus loved me in church and so I am sharing that love with his other children.

Years went by and one of their other classmates followed in the footsteps of his father and became a minister.  He knew both men and was surprised at their funerals.  When the first man died, the people who came to his funeral were his business partners, the people who had deals and contracts with the man.  They had many of the same things to say about him. “He was a hard worker. He was very disciplined. He cared about the bottom line.” The employees at his store were angry at him, they did not feel like they were being treated fairly, were underpaid and not taken care of with benefits.  The second man died and the church was packed with people who were homeless and worked at the homeless shelters.  They shared countless stories of sacrifice, of love and loved.  The stories went on for hours.  The pastor was amazed that he knew both of them from elementary school and they both grew up so differently.  They both heard the same sermons, probably attended many of the same events but the message they heard was so vastly different. That message that they heard shaped their life and how they lived it.

Now as we hear of Jesus coming and living and dwelling among us, We hear WHY God has sent his only Son into the world.  It is not to condemn or judge, but to love.  It is through God’s own Son that we have the restoration of the heart of our faith and the restoration of what truly makes us God’s people in our daily life.  For it is not what we do that we should be emphasizing, but rather what we believe.  If we truly do believe in it, we would want a community and people who will care for us, watch over us, and protect us even from ourselves.  So, truly it is through our gathering, our caring, and worshiping together that becomes our outward sign that is our faith.  

It is through this love that God has given to us that we are able to move forward and love others.