Dwell On These Things Series: Whatever Is Pure

The Bible has quite a lot to say about purity. If you were to do a word search on “pure”, you would find that it is often connected to the quality of something; for example, the pure gold of the Temple, or the pure nard used to anoint Jesus. But more often than not, Scripture is most concerned with the quality of one’s heart. In the Beatitudes, Jesus tells us that it is the “pure in heart” who see God. As with this whole series, it is not just our character, however, that we are concerned with. It is also our conduct. May our pure hearts bring about pure actions dedicated to furthering the Kingdom of God.

Dwell On These Things Series: Whatever Is Just

As we continue to examine our thought life in a series called, Dwell on These Things, we move now to “Whatever Is Just.” Paul admonishes us to think about “just” things. As we explore this theme, we are reminded of the importance of rooting our sense of what is just and right in the character of God. Whatever is just is so because God is just. But as the prophet Micah reminds us, it is not enough to merely think about justice, we must DO justice. "What does the Lord require of you," he asks, “but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

Dwell On These Things Series: Whatever is Honorable, Part 2

As we continue with our series, Dwell on These Things, today we dwell on “Whatever is Honorable.” Honor makes its way into our culture in a few distinct ways, but all in all, it’s not something we talk much about anymore. We still call court judges, “Your Honor.” The military uses language of honor to speak of those who serve our nation—for example, one might win the Medal of Honor or be "honorably discharged." A student might make the “honor roll” or receive “honorable mention” in a competition. But on the whole, the use of the word “honorable” has been on the decline since the early 1900’s. Perhaps it is time to dust off this word, to clarify what it means to act honorably, and to dwell on and practice these things.

Dwell On These Things Series: Whatever is Honorable

As we continue with our series, Dwell on These Things, today we dwell on “Whatever is Honorable.” Honor makes its way into our culture in a few distinct ways, but all in all, it’s not something we talk much about anymore. We still call court judges, “Your Honor.” The military uses language of honor to speak of those who serve our nation—for example, one might win the Medal of Honor or be "honorably discharged." A student might make the “honor roll” or receive “honorable mention” in a competition. But on the whole, the use of the word “honorable” has been on the decline since the early 1900’s. Perhaps it is time to dust off this word, to clarify what it means to act honorably, and to dwell on and practice these things.

Dwell On These Thing Series: Whatever is True

Happy New Year! As we enter this new year, we begin a new sermon series based upon Paul’s admonition in Philippians 4:8. In a world that is vying for our attention and is literally getting paid to find ways to keep us distracted, Paul’s list of things to dwell upon are more appropriate now than ever before. He says this: "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” For the next two months we will walk step-by-step through Paul’s list of things we should be setting our minds to. Our goal is to be shaped, as Paul was shaped, by the ideals he points us toward, ideals lived out by Christ and empowered in us by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Today, we meditate on the following wisdom: Whatever is true, think upon these things. Let’s dive in.

The Christmas Story: A Forgotten Christmas Character

The cast of Christmas characters is typically filled with the people you hear about every year. Mary and Joseph. Zechariah and Elizabeth. The shepherds. The wise men. Angels. King Herod. And, of course, the shining star of the show, the baby Jesus. But hovering in the background is another character. One who rarely, if ever, gets mentioned—mostly because he was long dead by the time of Jesus’ birth. But our New Testament passage mentions him explicitly. He plays an oversized role throughout the Old Testament and on into the New. It’s King David. And today, I want to consider David in light of the Christmas Story. Let’s dig in.

The Christmas Story: The Plot Twists

No story is a good story without a twist in the plot. In a good murder mystery, you shouldn’t know the killer’s identity until the big reveal at the end. In a sci-fi thriller you should, at some point, say, “I didn’t see that coming!” Likewise, in the narrative of Scripture, there are specific points at which the plot twists, and God does the unexpected. For those of us who have been reading Scripture for many years, there is a trap that we must take care to avoid, the trap of losing the “shock value” of the story. We forget just how unexpected God’s ways can be.

The Christmas Story: Preparing the Plot

As we continue to tell the Christmas story, we turn this week to the topic of “plot”. If you had to tell someone the plot of the Christmas story, what would you say? Today’s Scripture reading is not from the birth narrative of Jesus but is the opening to Mark’s gospel where John the Baptist is “preparing the way.” It turns out that John’s message has much to say about the plot of Christmas.

The Christmas Story: Setting the Stage

Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a season on the church calendar that begins our collective journey that ends at Christmas morning with the birth of Christ. As we take this long walk together, we will spend the next few Sundays telling and retelling the Christmas story. The story should sound familiar as, no doubt, you’ve heard it many times before. But after such a difficult year, a year unlike any other, my prayer is that the story takes on new meaning and offers a renewed hope. All good stories have a plot, plot twists, unexpected characters and a hero. Today, however, we start simply by setting the stage. It turns out that our 2020 experience gets us closer to the setting of Christmas than you might realize.

Gratitude as Virtue

Though we are still a few weeks from Thanksgiving, it is good to spend time reflecting on gratitude. Rather than dedicate one day to giving thanks, let us spend time in a season of gratitude. Let us train our eyes see the goodness of God where we once saw nothing. Let us train our hands to give back because of the gifts that have been given to us. And let us train our hearts to praise God with joy for ways small and large that we have been blessed. If we can do this, we might just find a bounce in our step, a smile on our face, and a nearness to the heart of God.

Committed

To live a life of character requires making certain commitments. Commitments are bonds that we refuse to yield upon. Paul gives us an example of a committed life in Acts 14 as he faces persecution and near death for the sake of the gospel. This is a literal hill he was willing to die on, and he nearly did. He was committed: committed to the gospel, committed to the truth of Jesus Christ, committed to carrying out a call upon his life to take that gospel as far and wide as he could even if it meant risking his own life. For what are you willing to die? And what do your commitments say about your character?

Trivial Pursuits

What would I need to offer you to convince you to give up everything in your life? A big enough pile of cash? A life of ease? Fame? Is there anything that could possibly cause you to give up everything you have built in this life? To answer these, you would need to evaluate what is most important to you, what gives your life meaning and purpose, and what you’re willing to leave behind. The New Testament is filled with examples of Jesus asking us to examine our deepest loyalties, to consider our pursuits, and to seek the kingdom above all these.

Jesus' Grace and Truth

John’s gospel opens up with two key words about Jesus’ character. It says he was “filled with grace and truth.” The grace of Jesus is the favor that he bestows upon all people irrespective of status or position, whether sinner or saint. We all need Jesus’ grace, and this is a hallmark of Christian doctrine and teaching. But Jesus’ “truth” is an important corollary to his grace. Jesus’ grace is not “cheap grace,” to use Bonhoeffer’s term. The grace of Jesus stands in the penetrating light of truth, and it is this truth that exposes just how costly it is.

God's Holy Love

Today, we begin a series on character. The old maxim, "Character is who you are when no one is looking, certainly applies," but the character I want to begin with is not ours but God’s. God's character is revealed throughout Scripture and serves as an important starting point for understanding the ways our own character has been misshapen. As creatures created in the image of God, God’s image reveals something deep and true about who we were created to be. So this morning we begin with what I believe to be at the center of God’s very character: Holy Love.

New Heart, New Spirit, New Life

Ezekiel challenges his readers to turn from their ways and to seek to live just and righteous lives. He encourages them to make for themselves a “new heart” and a “new spirit.” But we know, because the New Testament teaches it over and over again, that the fulness of this is only possible through the one who offers new life by laying down his own. It is only possible through an act of mercy and forgiveness through Christ’s atoning death. Nevertheless, when Ezekiel concludes this passage with the injunction to “turn and live,” it is a magnificent foreshadowing of the grace to come through Jesus who enjoins us to “repent and be forgiven.”

Not Fair

What connects today’s two Scripture passages is something we all do: complain. The Israelites are “grumbling” that they do not have enough food for their journey out of Egypt, and the vineyard workers in Jesus’ parable are “grumbling” that they have had to work longer and harder than others for equal pay. Arguably, both complaints are legitimate . . . if insufficient. God does not mind our questions and, perhaps, even a little complaining. But complaint is not the end of the road, it is a marker along the way toward gratitude and faith. Complaint takes the form of honesty, but it is often an honesty that is too small. It is an honesty that does not recognize the rightful place of thanksgiving, gratitude, humility, and trust. It is there that we wish to find ourselves.