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josephholubsermons
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August 20, 2006 Pentecost 11
This is Pastor Joe's last sermon
at Holy Love Lutheran Church in Aurora, Colorado. His next sermon will
September 10th from his new congregation in Fort Collins, Colorado, Shepherd
of the Hills Lutheran Church.
Diluted Faith?
“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people, but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil.” - Ephesians 5:15
“(Jesus said) “I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever…” - John 6:51
We have a variety of birds out in Buena Vista, and we really enjoy looking for them and observing their activity: at the birdbath, or the feeder, or just flying around and doing their thing. There are two birds that I particularly like to watch. One is the hummingbird and the other is the vulture.
They both are unique and interesting birds. The vultures live off the rotting meat of road-kill and dead animals. In a sense we could call them nature’s waste management agents, and they thrive on a death-ridden diet. Hummingbirds, on the other hand, ignore the stinking, rotting flesh of dead animals and instead look for colorful blossoms and thrive on sweet nectar. We could say the vultures live on death and what was. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life, colorful life, and sweet life. They fill themselves with freshness.
I believe, in the epistle for today, Paul is talking about something similar. Paul begins with a warning that is almost like one of those yellow signs on the highway that warn us of dangerous things ahead that we might not see until it is too late. Paul distinguishes between “wise” living and “unwise” living. He implores us to “make the most of our time (in wise living) because the days are evil.”
I believe a part of what he meant was that the people living in Ephesus were surrounded by tons of distractions that had the power to lure young Christians away from their faith and off God’s intentions for their lives; temptations that had the power to dilute and water-down their faith so that it became a dead faith, not a living, dynamic faith.
Ephesus was an incredible place. It was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. It was called the “first and greatest metropolis of Asia.” It was a diverse cosmopolitan center of commerce, politics, culture and religion. Diverse ideas, philosophies and life-styles from all over the world converged in Ephesus – some good, some not so good! Because of its great diversity, it was also a place that sometimes spawned conflict and ethnic hatred.
The little congregation in Ephesus found itself smack in the middle of this great metropolis that issued forth a myriad of temptations that could pull them away from their faith, or worse yet, water down their faith and dilute their faith so that it scarcely resembled the life of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I believe what was true for the Ephesians is most certainly true for us as well.
I really believe one of the biggest temptations we face as Christians is to water-down and dilute our faith, hence becoming a dead faith. We are constantly bombarded with a super-abundance of subliminal self-indulgent messages that can blend with our faith to the point our faith becomes compromised and adulterated.
Paul wrote this letter to the little Ephesians congregation to encourage and urge them to live and witness with a faith of integrity, a faith that could make a real difference to the people of the great metropolis. Paul understood how important and significant this Ephesus congregation was; a living witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ in a culture that was filled with death and despair in so many ways.
I believe this congregation, Holy Love Lutheran Church, is being called to be and do a similar thing. God is calling for Holy Love to be a living voice and dynamic people for Jesus Christ in this community. For that reason Holy Love is a significant congregation with the heavy and awesome responsibility to speak for Christ and be Christ to this community.
I gave long and hard prayerful thought to what I might say to you today on this occasion of my last Sunday. All sorts of thoughts and biblical passages were bouncing around in my head this week until I thought I was going have a concussion from the inside out. Finally I just bagged them all, and I stuck with what I perceive to be the essential and critical message of this epistle passage today.
Paul’s words are a bold challenge for this congregation to deliver a witness of integrity to this community; a faith and a witness that is not watered-down and compromised.
The great metropolis in which we live needs the witness that this community of believers can provide. We can provide it because of the theological heritage and foundation upon which we stand. We can provide it because this is a community of believers who profess Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior.
The great metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that models and mentors what a community of faith looks like who “take up their cross and follow” Jesus Christ; not a community that takes up a security blanket and follows, looking for the diluted way of following along the easiest and most risk free path – the unwise path.
The great
metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that is far less concerned with upholding the letter of the law,
but rather lives by the spirit of law as Jesus preached and modeled
for us. In other words, our community needs to see and hear Christians who
look a lot less like judgmental Pharisees and a lot more like a
grace-filled and compassionate Jesus.
The great
metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that takes the essential message of the Old Testament prophets
seriously by not preaching a gospel of affluence and reward,
promising that God will reward you with material blessings if you do certain
things, or further empower the already rich and powerful; but rather living
by the prophet’s message that God is most concerned about justice for
the poor and the powerless, building a world that lifts up the poor and
oppressed and is passionate about living out the imperative of the prophet
Micah to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”
(Micah 6:8)
The great
metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that proclaims with the Psalmist that, “The earth is the Lord’s
and fullness thereof” (Psalm 24:1) and demonstrates what it means to be
good stewards of the earth and its resources, not exploiters and
self-indulgent users.
The great metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that does not shape its world-view of current events around apocalyptic end-of-the-world predictions based upon a cryptic and enigmatic New Testament book, or a twisted “Second Coming scenario”, some of which conclude that we should shoot off a few nukes because it just may hasten the return of Jesus! How diluted, misguided and screwed up is that?
Rather our community needs to see and hear a Christian witness that takes seriously Jesus’ commands to be peace-makers and leaves the “second coming scenarios” to God, just as Jesus clearly told us that we should do in the first place. (see Matthew 5:9; Acts 1:1-8)
The great metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that doesn’t confuse the Kingdom of God with certain political parties or philosophies, but sees the Kingdom of God as the breaking in of God’s intentions and designs for love, justice and grace in this world no matter where it happens or who brings it!
The great
metropolis in which we live needs a witness:
-that is not elitist or arrogant, but following the example of
Jesus, is humble and affirming of the least and last among and around us.
The question I leave with you today is “Will Holy Love be that community?” Or will Holy Love water down and dilute the faith through rationalization, self-indulgence, lack of courage, and indifference and other dead things? Will Holy Love be that community of faith that takes the path called wise??
So where does the power, strength, courage and resolve come from to be that kind of witness for Jesus Christ in this great metropolis? One place is right here at this table as we come forward and dine and feast, not on the dead, rotting flesh of things past or a hero of old, but on the living presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, the one who called himself “the living bread.” (John 6:51)
I leave with you the same words that Paul used to conclude his letter to the Ephesians congregation:
“Peace be to (you), and love… from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all (of you) who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 6:23-24)