Waiting for Water Easter Journey: Encounters with Jesus. ten weekly sermons

Transcription

1 Waiting for Water 2013 Easter Journey: Encounters with Jesus ten weekly sermons

2 Copyright 2013, Waiting for Water. Please feel free to share and copy these resources, providing attribution to Waiting for Water and the authors who created this content.

3 Note from Dan... As a pastor for thirty years, I found one of the most powerful ways to reinforce the truth of Scripture was to preach on a passage and then have it followed by small group discussion. Focused around the broader theme of Encounters with Jesus, each sermon introduces the topic which is also examined in that week s Bible study, providing insight, illustrations, and applications written by seasoned pastors. My hope is that these sermon aids will equip pastors and their churches to deepen their commitment to Christ and the world as they take The Easter Journey. In Christ, Dan Stevens

4 About these sermons... The following sample sermons were created by Waiting for Water and a team of volunteer authors from across the country. They are designed to serve as a guide, a jumping off point or source of inspiration for pastors leading their congregations in Waiting for Water s Easter Journey. Your church may choose to participate in the full ten-week journey or end your Easter Journey observation on the seventh week at Easter. A note on scripture... Unless otherwise noted, the scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, TODAY S NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 2001, 2005 by Biblica. Used by permission of Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.

5 Contents Week 1. Mary and the Angel 6 written by Eugenia Gamble Week 2. Simeon and Anna 11 written by Andy Saperstein Week 3. People of Nazareth 15 written by Tom Stephen Week 4. The Unnamed Sinful Woman and Simon 21 written by Fawn Parish Week 5. Crippled Woman and the Religious Ruler 25 written by Michael Ballou Week 6. Palm Sunday:Ten Lepers 31 written by Warren Einolander Week 7. An Easter Story: Zacchaeus 36 written by Jan Armstrong Week 8. A Man Named Barnabas 40 written by Ben Mann Week 9. The Church s First Leaders 43 written by Randy Working Week 10. A Man Named Peter 48 written by Michael Ballou Meet the Authors 55

6 1 Mary and the Angel Written by Eugenia Gamble introduction Years ago I came across a vignette by a Christian Clown named Margie Brown. It comes from a little book called The Stick Stories that is no longer in print. In a fun and fanciful way, the following monologue tells the story of Mary s encounter with the angel Gabriel. You might want to act out or have a member act out this story as an opener for your sermon. It should be read as a conversation, with the angel s responses to Mary assumed but inaudible after each line. Coming, I m coming! Good morning. Yes, I m Mary. How do you do, Gabriel. Can I help you? A message. The Lord is with me. I don t see anybody Do you have someone out in the hall? I ve found favor with the Lord. You go tell him that I like him, too But if you ll excuse me I have a lot of work to do. No, I don t understand! Blessed be the fruit of my broom? Mister, I have all the sweeping up that I need. Blessed be the fruit of my womb? You re not making any sense! If you have a message for me, just say it straight and simple. Oh. That s pretty straight and simple. You re telling me that I m going to have a baby. Mister, I don t think that you can do that kind of thing door to door. You re serious aren t you? That s a pretty crazy proposition. Why would I want to do that? I m not even married. 6

7 This must be some special kind of kid to come this way. Well, what kind? Yes. Yes. Really? Jesus Christ. Magnificent! Well mister, If what you re saying is true, Then what can I say? I guess you can go tell your boss that he s got himself a little mother. Am I scared? No Yes It is scary, and people will talk, but how can I pass up an adventure like this? Yes. Good-bye, thank you..i think. Have a nice day. Joe? Hey Joe! Guess what? No. You ll never guess scripture: Luke 1: In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, 40 where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and exclaimed with a loud cry, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. 43 And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? 44 For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. 52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever. 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home. (NRSV) 7

8 sermon Today s lesson from Luke may seem like a strange place to befin our Lenten journey. We are used to this story in Advent when we focus on preparing to again welcome Christ into the world at Christmas. We are accustomed to hearing this story when we are ripe with waiting, when we are heavy with longing, and when we are ready to burst with the need to be delivered. We are accustomed to hearing the story of two courageous women bonding over their pregnancies, with all of the hope for the future and wonder at the miracle that pregnancy usually brings, in the midst of evergreens and holly, shiny lights and eggnog. But this year, it s different. The tree is long since down. The presents of Christmas morning are now treasured possessions that we take for granted. The carols are tucked away with the tinsel crowns of the little angels from the Christmas pageant. And we are set today, with our noses pointed to Calvary, to walk with the babe now a man to the hill where he will fulfill his mission. Born in hope. Finished for hope. Perhaps it is not so strange, really, to begin Lent with Mary and Elizabeth s encounter and Mary s song of hope and wonder. After all, if there is nothing else we learn from life and Lent, it is that carols and cross go hand in hand, two sides of the same wondrous story of salvation and wholeness. So what can we learn today about walking with Jesus to Calvary from this first walk of his mother to visit her cousin in the hill country? First of all, saying yes to God, agreeing to in some way be a God-bearer in your life, is risky business indeed. Each time I read the text I am amazed at Mary s response to the angel s message: Okay God, if you say so. Now granted, it took a pretty intense and specific encounter with an angel, but still. For a thirteen-year-old poor, Hebrew girl whose name, Miryam, meant rebellion to say yes to the miracle of God was pretty amazing and had some pretty amazing results. In saying yes, Mary became the God bearer, the one who would be used by God to help her people meet God face to face. With her yes, she showed us what faith really looks like and what its purpose is. As I think of Mary, the God bearer, and her resounding yes, I am humbled to think of the times that I have said no to the unexpected movement of God in my life, even in little things. No to the inner nudge to pick up the phone and call a friend when I m tired and just want to be alone No to the nudge to send a note of thanks a word of blessing to someone who has extended me a kindness No to the inner nudge to write an extra check for a needed ministry instead of buying some new trinket for myself No to the inner nudge to confront a friend s or parishioner s destructive behavior No to the inner nudge to say I m sorry to someone I have wounded when a long-ago hurt crosses my mind. No to the nudge to speak my faith into the tyrannies of racism, sexism, xenophobia, to all the isms and phobias that make objects of people and gain ground by diminishing the full humanity of others No to the tiny, subtle, daily opportunities to be overshadowed by grace and transformed a little more closely into one who might bear God to a broken and graceless world. 8

9 To say yes to God s call, to bear Christ, is risky business indeed. Yet, if Christ is to be constantly born of us today we must be prepared, as Mary was, to risk all to bring him to life. I grew up in the 1960s in the Jim Crow south. The Civil Rights Movement shaped my life and family from the time I was a tot. After the total desegregation of the school system, I attended a high school where 80 percent of the students were African American. As a child of white privilege, I attended the school as a matter of choice. I believed in desegregation. I believed in public school. So, I went to public school. During my senior year a friend of mine, a young African American boy, and I decided that we were going to help with voter registration after school in the public housing projects in our community. We didn t have the sense God gave a turnip. But that was what we decided to do. Somehow, word of our plan reached the school librarian, a wise and wonderful African American woman who had seen it all. She called us in to her office one day after school. Telling us what she had heard, she told us that we simply could not do it. I remember rising up to the full stature of my sixteen-year-old indignity and saying, But we are working for the truth. She leaned over her desk, clasped her enormous chocolate eyes on me and said something I have never forgotten. Genie, you be careful of the truth. The truth can get you killed. Mary knew from the first flap of angel wings that the truth could get her killed. Yet she was able to respond with joy and abandon. Why? Perhaps it was just who she was. Perhaps the Spirit prepared her especially for this opportunity. We don t know. But in the moment, she made her decision. Yes. She would be who she was created to be and she would do what she was created to do no matter how inconceivable, no matter how inconvenient, no matter how incongruous. The risk of saying yes to God s call on your life may be great. But the payoff in intimacy with Christ will be greater. A second thing we learn from today s story is that if Christ is to be born in us, we must be open to becoming a miracle and not just getting one. Mary knew immediately the radical change that God was bringing into the world through her. She knew that there would be no more same-old-same-old once the Christ was born. She knew that no power structures would hold his presence, no privilege would go unquestioned, no injustice go unanswered. She knew that the way things were would change on the metabolic level. Nothing would ever be the same, because God was moving the world toward justice. God was moving the world toward love. God was moving the world toward reconciliation. God was moving the world home. Not even the powers of hell could stop it. The light was coming and it would change everything. Many of us don t think of ourselves as miracle workers, light shedders, and power tumblers. Many of us may feel more in need of miracles, insight, and a little Godly power. Yet, although we are different, Christ is inside each of us as he was inside of Mary. Jesus longs to be brought to term in our lives, to be delivered to deliver. When we, like Mary, say yes to that calling, unjust powers tumble and arrogant ideas of entitlement at the expense of others crumble. When we offer ourselves to be miracles, God does them. One of my favorite stories from the life of Mother Teresa comes from the time when she was a young nun working with the poorest in Calcutta. One day she became convinced that God was calling her to open an orphanage for the children of those who were dying daily in the streets. So she went to talk with her bishop about the project. He listened attentively to what she outlined. After she finished, he asked, How much money do you have? Two pennies, she answered. The bishop laughed out loud. You can t start an orphanage with two pennies. No, she replied. But with God and two pennies I can. And she did. What if you really believed that God was calling you to the work of water justice? What if you believed that Jesus wanted to flow from you in clean flowing water? Could you dig a well? Could you dig a latrine? Could you become politically active? Could you give up something important to you in order give more lavishly? Can you become the miracles you want to see in the world? Maybe you think you don t have the resources. But, here is the news flash. You are the resources. Mary didn t have the resources to do anything, not even the human resources to get pregnant. 9

10 God did. It is God s capacity and not our own that bursts forth into the world when we say yes. It is no wonder that Mary calls herself blessed, that is, indwelt by God and fully satisfied. It is our state too; remember that! Finally, Mary knew at once that she would need support. After her amazing yes, Mary set about finding a community of support to see her through and to fuel her hope. We have that amazing support in one another right here in our church and with all the others who come together to work out God s justice in the world. We have people to sing with, to celebrate the birth of new ministries and miracles with us. We have people to spark our ideas and to hear our outlandish schemes. We have people to shoulder the load with us. We have Christ s very being alive within us to comfort and confront us, to empower and spur us on. God is doing a miracle inside of you right now. Who knows? Perhaps this Lent it will be brought to term. 10

11 2 Simeon and Anna Written by Andy Saperstein introduction Water has a way of gathering people together. Great civilizations form on the banks of mighty rivers; cities are born beside protected harbors; people congregate every day around public wells and water pumps in villages around the world; water coolers draw isolated office mates together into conversation and community; and wherever people are found, they also gather beside oceans and lakes and rivers and streams to relax and play together. Truly, water has a way of gathering us together. In Uzbekistan, where my family and I lived for many years, water also gathers people together. In the ancient city of Bukhara, as in many ancient Central Asian towns and cities, there once was found a hauz at the center of each section of town. A hauz was a large pool, often a spring-fed open well, which served not only as a place to draw water for people and livestock, but also as a central meeting place for the community. Though in modern Bukhara many of the original hauzes have been removed, one famous hauz remains as a go-to gathering place where both tourists and local people come to sit at cafes and on benches and to relax with family and friends in the shade of the trees along its banks. Truly, where there is water, people are soon to follow. As we continue together in this second week of the Waiting for Water Easter Journey, we see people continue to gather around Jesus, as well. Though in this week s text Jesus is still a mere infant, we find that he, like water, nonetheless draws people to Himself and sets in motion words and reactions that ripple through the communities through which he passes. Jesus is the one who promises us living water, (John 4:10, NAS Updated Version) and who assures us that if he is lifted up, he will draw all people to [Himself] (John 12:32). We see this process begin from the day he is born, when shepherds and angels assemble around the manger in which he lies. We see it continue in today s text, when he is presented as a recently circumcised boy at the temple, and we see it continue when the magi later arrive to present him with gifts and to worship him. Jesus is the center of a new community drawn to him, and he will graciously gather all those who are prepared to respond to his presence and his call. In today s text, the second part of the second chapter of Luke s gospel, we meet four people who are drawn in various ways to God s presence and his call, and we have something to learn from each of them. Our text begins with Mary and Joseph naming and then circumcising Jesus, after which they present him at the temple in obedience to Jewish law (vv ). When they do so, they encounter Simeon, a man Luke describes as righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel (v. 25). And after encountering Simeon, they meet Anna, an aged widow and prophetess who is also drawn not only to approach Jesus, but to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. (vv ) Each of these people is drawn both to and by God as a consequence of this infant Messiah who, though vulnerable and silent throughout this passage, is nonetheless its central character he himself is the refreshing pool at the center of the city. Let s read this week s text together. 11

12 scripture: Luke 2:21-40 (NAS Updated Version) 21 And when eight days had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Jesus Presented in the Temple 22 And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, EVERY firstborn MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD ), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what was said in the Law of the Lord, A PAIR OF TURTLEDOVES OR TWO YOUNG PIGEONS. 25 And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, 28 then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 29 Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word; 30 For my eyes have seen Your salvation 31 Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, 32 A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel. 33 And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- 35 and a sword will pierce even your own soul-- to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed. 36 And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. 38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. 39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth. 40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. 12

13 sermon So we read in these twenty verses of some early encounters with Jesus, and we learn some of what went into making these encounters possible in the first place. Most specifically, we learn something of three crucial characteristics of those who encountered Jesus and those who make it possible for others to do so; in the case of all four adult actors in this text, we discover people who are obedient to what has been revealed by God in the past. In Simeon, we observe in this passage a man who also experiences and responds to God s Spirit in the present and in both Simeon and Anna we observe people who wait expectantly for God to act in the future. And beyond this, we meet in this text in Anna especially a woman who, upon encountering Jesus, the infant Messiah, both exalts God and expresses him to others. Let s take a deeper look at each one of these people in turn. By the time we encounter Mary and Joseph in Luke 2:21, we already know them to be righteous, God-fearing people. Mary has already responded to the angel Gabriel s astonishing declarations in Luke 1 that she will conceive a baby by the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of the Most High (vv ) with the equally astonishing Behold, the bond slave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word (v. 38). In Matthew s account, we learn that Joseph was a righteous man who upon hearing of Mary s pregnancy did not want to disgrace her (Matthew 1:19), and who time and again heeds God s over-the-transom instructions through angelic visitations and dreams. Mary and Joseph have already willingly endured social ostracism, exile, danger, and the complete subverting of their own expectations and plans for the sake of the baby they now bear in their arms to the temple. And as we consider just how centrally God s plans rested on the birth of Jesus, and on his continued growth and flourishing unto adulthood, it is nothing short of stunning how much God entrusted to this obscure, humble couple. When we encounter them in Luke 2:21-24, they are recorded as obeying the earlier command of the angel to give the name Jesus to their son (Matthew 1:21, Luke 1:31), which just prior to his circumcision, they faithfully undertake. They go on to circumcise him according to Jewish law (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3), and then, waiting the prescribed thirty-three more days of purification, take him to the temple to present him as their firstborn son to the Lord, also in keeping with the Law (Exodus 13:2, 12; Leviticus 5:11, 12:8; Numbers 3:13, 8:17). Now there is nothing glorious or flashy about what Mary and Joseph do here they are simply obedient to what has been revealed by God in the past. With matter-of-fact humility they simply do what God has already clearly told them to do. They wait for no special revelation, they look for no heavenly signs, they require no further angelic visitation, but in keeping with God s revealed will and Word, they simply and unassumingly undertake what God has already made clear to them to do. Had they not done so, Jesus would not have been in the temple for either Simeon or Anna to encounter, and we would not have this convergence of faithful people around Jesus in his infancy that Luke records for us here. Jesus would not have returned with them to the same, nurturing home in Nazareth to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom (v. 40), the grace of God upon him. It is simple, inglorious obedience that often ensures that we are in the right place at the right time, that others can find their appointed places and purposes too, and that our lives together might merge with God s larger purposes in the world. And in the case of Joseph and Mary, it was not merely their own lives that depended on their faithful obedience, but the life of the vulnerable baby the infant Messiah who they bore in their arms. But it is not merely obedience to what God has revealed in the past that ensures our full participation in his plans and purposes, but also a living sensitivity to his Holy Spirit in the present. God is alive; he is not merely a list of 13

14 propositional statements to be analyzed and observed. Decades before Jesus promises his Spirit to His disciples in John 14:16, we observe in today s passage in Luke a man who not only obeyed God s already revealed Word (for we are told that he was righteous and devout (v. 25)), but who in a living and active way experienced and responded to God s Spirit in the present. In verses we are told three times of Simeon s sensitivity to the Holy Spirit s presence and leading. The Holy Spirit was upon him (v. 25), the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would see the Messiah before he died (v. 26), and on this very day he had come in the Spirit to the temple (v. 27). Simeon was clearly not solely a man who obeyed God s revealed will and Word from the past, but one who also paid attention to the living presence of God through the Holy Spirit in the here and now. He knew what God wanted him to do moment by moment as he lived. And this living knowledge of God through the Spirit is something that Simeon had apparently cultivated; it was not a sudden, last-minute thing. Simeon had over time not a one-time glance been looking for the the consolation of Israel (v. 25), and over time not a one-time experience had the Holy Spirit upon him (v. 25). In the context of the ongoing infilling and presence of the Spirit upon him, Simeon heard God s promise that he would see the Messiah before he died, and as a consequence of that promise, Simeon lived attentively. He paid close attention to God and what he was doing. As a result, on this day when Joseph and Mary had brought their forty-day-old son to the temple to present him, Simeon had also been drawn to that very place. God had through the obedience of all three people to his revealed will, and through the particular sensitivity on Simeon s part to what he was doing on that particular day, fulfilled his promise to Simeon to see the Lord s Christ before he died. He brought these three faithful people together around Jesus. So in Simeon we meet a man who both obeyed God s previously revealed will and experienced him in the present. And as he did so, he was able to lift his eyes from the plane of the past and the present and stir both himself and others to wait expectantly for God to act in the future. Upon encountering the child Messiah for whom he had been looking, he embraced him, having caught a glimpse of God s larger purposes for the future and of God s promised salvation for all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike. He therefore declares the sobering and expansive future implications of his coming, both for Mary herself and for many in Israel (vv ). So Simeon, whose encounter with Jesus and his earthly parents takes up half of our present narrative, embodies the past, present, and future of how we are called to engage with God. He obeys what God has revealed in the past, he lives with attentiveness and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in the present, and he looks with expectation at how God will continue to act in the future. So thus far we can see how the obedience and sensitivity of these three humble people, Joseph and Mary and Simeon, leads to a gathering around Jesus, a meeting around the Messiah, a convergence of people around Christ in keeping with God s plan and purposes in the world. But Luke s account of this temple gathering is not yet quite complete, for entering from stage right is the aged widow and prophetess, Anna, who like the other three actors in these events was a faithful and obedient woman, serving night and day in the temple with fastings and prayers (v. 37). Yet Anna s encounter with Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and Simeon is apparently a brief one. She approaches the four of them at the very time when Simeon makes his expansive declarations about Jesus, and she, as the next runner in a relay, takes the baton and runs forward with it. She immediately begins to exalt God and express Him to others, revealing a pattern that continues to this day. Those who obey God s past commands, experience him in the present, and expect something of him in the future, also sing praises to him and declare him to others. This temple encounter between these four admirable yet ordinary people gathered around Jesus calls all of us to live as they lived, to meet around the Messiah, and to sing praises back to him and to all others who will listen. For he himself is indeed the pool in the center of the city around whom the nations gather and are refreshed. 14

15 3 People of Nazareth Written by Tom Stephen introduction When Jesus began his ministry, people were excited. As a young rabbi, he taught in the local synagogues, and everyone praised him. But Jesus revealed early on he was so much more than a learned rabbi; he was the Messiah. He was going to bring in God s kingdom, and he was going to bring it to everyone. He was also calling his followers to the do the same. How would you have responded to Jesus teaching? How do you respond today? As we continue our walk toward Easter morning, consider how you might respond to the radical call of Jesus. scripture: Acts Luke 4: Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 15

16 sermon NOTE TO PREACHER: Consider sharing your own story of a child who sought to imitate one of his/her parents. When our son Sam was six, he walked into the kitchen, and my wife and I both noticed a significant section of his hair was missing from the top of his head. It appeared that Sam s curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to give himself a haircut. Our two daughters had clipped their hair when they were his age, so we weren t shocked. The difference between my daughters and Sam was that when they clipped their hair, they were horrified. Sam seemed proud of his new creation. We asked, Sam, did you cut your hair? Yes, he responded with a smile. But why, Sam? Why did you cut your hair? Did you think that was a good thing to do? my wife and I were very curious at this point. I wanted to have a bald spot like you daddy. I wanted to be like you, he replied. Ginny and I both laughed out loud. I gave Sam a high five and said, Right on, little dude, I m glad you think I m worthy to be like. I then gave him a big hug and told him, Don t do that again, there are better ways to be like me. As I walked away, I thought, if only I would look at our Heavenly Father the way Sam looked at me. Sam noticed the details in my life, and he wanted to replicate what he saw. He wanted to be like his dad. I question sometimes whether I have a childlike desire to be like my Father in Heaven. I have found over the years, however, when I study the life of Jesus, my appetite to be like God intensifies. As we walk together towards Easter, we ve been looking at Jesus. We are in the midst of a sermon series that gives us the best impression of God this side of heaven. Jesus once said, If you have seen me then you have seen the Father. My hope is that our desire to live as God wants us to live and to think as God wants us to think intensifies. That s what Lent is all about. The life and teaching of Jesus give us the best impression of who God is and how God calls us to live. So, let s take a lesson from a six-year-old boy named Sam and pay close attention to the details of Jesus life this morning. We are going to explore the genesis of Jesus ministry. What happened when Jesus preached his first sermon in his hometown of Nazareth? How did God prepare Jesus for ministry? What did God call Jesus to do? How did the people respond? As I have studied the passage this week, I ve noticed three details of the ministry of Jesus that will help us understand who God has called us to be as we seek to follow the way of Jesus. Followers of Jesus will: Be empowered by the Spirit Heed God s call to tell others the good news and to do acts of justice/compassion Experience persecution from others who don t understand 16

17 As we look at today s passage of scripture, remember that prior to Jesus arriving on the scene in Galilee, he had just returned from forty days and nights in the desert. After his baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove, the Spirit then compelled him to go into the desert for some alone time with God. Jesus fasted and prayed as he prepared to begin his ministry. At the end of forty days, guess who showed up? That s right. The devil. They devil had plans for Jesus as well. The devil wanted to trip Jesus up even before his ministry began by tempting him to take the easy way out. But Jesus, still being empowered by the Spirit, did not fall to temptation. The devil left with plans to attack Jesus at another time. Jesus then headed out to announce the start of his ministry to his family and friends in his hometown of Nazareth. To review, so far the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus at his baptism. The Spirit then directed Jesus to the desert to prepare for ministry and to be tempted by the devil. When Jesus returned to Nazareth to begin ministry, we read in verse 14 that Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit. The Greek word used here for power is dunamis. That s the root of our word for dynamite. Jesus began his ministry with power, explosive power. And what was Jesus empowered to do? Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. God s Spirit gave him the ability to speak, and people were amazed. As you look in the other gospels, you ll find Jesus initial ministry was also accompanied by healing in addition to preaching. What do we learn about the nature of living out the ministry of Jesus from the ministry of Jesus? Christian living means to live empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak and act so others will see God. Our ability to show God s love in the world does not come from us, but rather by the explosive power of the Holy Spirit. Christian ministry will never be successful over the long haul if it comes from our resources, our power, our attitude. It begins with the prompting of the Holy Spirit and that Spirit gives power and resolve. That s the model that Jesus set, and that s the model of the church established by the disciples, and that s the model of the church throughout the ages. The problem arises when Christians, people like you and me, seek to do God s work on our own power or in our own will. We will find ourselves getting burned out, frustrated, and powerless. In fact, when you consider the church through history, when people have sought to do God s work without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that s when things have either felt lifeless and boring or things have strayed from showing the world God s best. John Wesley was a Christian pastor in England who worked tirelessly in his own power for years with little result. Listen to his story. NOTE TO PREACHER: I ve printed the whole article here which could be read or retold in your own words. John Wesley was almost in despair. He did not have the faith to continue to preach. When death stared him in the face, he was fearful and found little comfort in his faith. To Peter Böhler, a Moravian friend, he confessed his growing misery and decision to give up the ministry. Böhler counseled otherwise. Preach faith till you have it, he advised. And then because you have it, you will preach faith. A wise Catholic once made a similar statement: Act as if you have faith and it will be granted to you. 17

18 John acted on the advice. He entered a prison and led a prisoner to Christ by preaching faith in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins. The prisoner was immediately converted. John was astonished. He had been struggling for years. Here was a man transformed instantly. John made a study of the New Testament and found to his astonishment that the longest recorded delay in salvation was three days--while the apostle Paul waited for his eyes to open. The Moravians assured him their personal experiences had also been instantaneous. John found himself crying out, Lord, help my unbelief! However, he felt dull within and little motivated even to pray for his own salvation. On this day, May 24th, 1738, he opened his Bible at about five in the morning and came across these words: There are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, even that ye should be partakers of the divine nature. He read similar words in other places. That evening he reluctantly attended a meeting in Aldersgate. Someone read from Luther s Preface to the Epistle to Romans. About 8:45 pm while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death. It took him some time to learn how to live the life of faith, for he was not always possessed of joy and thought he had fallen from salvation. It took time for him to see that it is not Christ and good works, but Christ alone who saves, resulting in good works. As time went on, John Wesley was mightily used of the Lord to reform England. His Methodists became a national force. John rode thousands of miles (as many as 20,000 a year) preaching as only a man filled with the Holy Spirit can preach, telling the gospel to all who would listen. He acted as though he were out of breath in pursuit of souls. Wherever he preached, lives changed and manners and morals altered for the better. It is often conjectured that his preaching helped spare England the kind of revolution that occurred in France. Dan Graves 1 I fear that many Christians try to practice Christianity without having had an experience with the Holy Spirit. We have not been filled with the Spirit so we can work at trusting God. We work at being Christian. The fact is, you, me any of us, will eventually despair on our own. We are not built to do ministry on our own power, because it s God s Spirit that gives us direction and helps us to do the work of the Kingdom. Have you been empowered by the Holy Spirit? You can receive that today through a simple prayer. Ask God to show you and give you more of who he is. Jesus promised that those who ask for the Holy Spirit will receive it. If you want to imitate Christ, be filled with the Spirit! In verses of Luke 4, Jesus defines the ministry that has been given to him by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit compelled Jesus to teach in his hometown of Nazareth. I suspect many people showed up at the synagogue that day to hear Jesus. He had become a local celebrity. News about him had spread, and people came to see Jesus perform miracles and to see if he was as good a teacher as people said he was. It was customary to ask a visiting rabbi to read scripture and to comment during the service, so Jesus stood up and read words from the prophet Isaiah that pointed toward the coming Messiah. After reading the passage, Jesus then claimed that his ministry began the fulfilling of this promise. In other words, he claimed to be the Messiah. He also claimed the mission statement laid out in this passage. He tells everyone just 1 From an article entitled John Wesley s Heart Strangely Warmed. 18

19 exactly what his ministry is going to look like. Check this out in verse 18. The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me. God s Spirit is again the initiator of ministry. Jesus ministry is bathed in the anointing of God s Spirit. In the Old Testament, prophets and kings received God s anointing; they were given the power to do God s work on behalf of God s people. God now pours his Spirit on all those who want do his work. What does God anoint us to do? Same work that Jesus was called to do: to preach good news to the poor. Luke highlights this simple truth that permeates scripture: God loves those who are poor (both materially and in spirit) and God shows them favor. While cultures will show favor to the rich, God s heart is for those in need. They receive good news because God has come to let them know that they are significant and they have not been forgotten. NOTE TO PREACHER: Consider sharing your own story of your work with the poor or a story from the Waiting for Water website. As I ve worked with the homeless in Baltimore, San Francisco, and different parts of Southern California, I ve discovered that in addition to being in need, one of the worst parts of being poor is being ignored. The poor not only feel ignored, they are ignored. Our call is to bring good news to those who are poor. To bring good news of hope and healing. A simple first step is to get to know folks who need help and to begin to understand their need. So often when we encounter the poor, it is easy to not look them in the eye or ask their name. Jesus met people individually and cared for their individual needs. He let them know that God was with them and that God had plans for them. He brought them the good news. Listen to what else Jesus did. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoner and recovery of sight for the blind. When Isaiah initially wrote these words, the people of Israel were in captivity in a land called Babylon. They were looking for a hope. They needed some good news that God was still with them and had not abandoned them. Jesus came to proclaim that same freedom. He also came to bring healing in people s lives. While the people in Jesus day thought that meant freedom from Rome, Jesus came to bring freedom from sin. He also came to heal all those who are in need of healing. Dan (not his real name) used to come to youth group on occasion. I served as his youth pastor the whole time he was in high school. Dan is now serving a five year prison sentence. He was arrested and convicted as a sex offender because of his interactions with an under-aged teenager. When I heard he was in prison for this crime, I prayed that God would protect him and that he would be freed from his sin. I also prayed for his victim. During the time Dan came to youth group, he liked the fellowship but he never seemed to understand the gospel. He had lots of questions about God. Dan thought God was a principle to consider, not a Lord to be worshipped. In prison, with everything stripped away, this young man heard the gospel and he said, Yes. He needed freedom. He now leads Bible studies. When he wrote to tell me his story, I quickly thanked God for the people who brought hope to those in prison. Someone preached to him the good news, he remembered all that he had heard growing up, and God released him. He is still serving time for his crime, but he is free. The world would throw him in prison and throw away the key, but God threw him in prison to give him the key to life. Jesus came to set people free, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor. 19

20 To proclaim the year of the Lord s favor is to proclaim the idea that God s Kingdom will set everything right. In the Law of Moses, God established a Year of Jubilee. During the Year of Jubilee, debts would be forgiven and land would be restored. For us today, it s the idea that someday God will make everything right. God will set right those who have been mistreated. God will bring about his kingdom. Jesus gave his mission statement to actively show acts of compassion for those in need and to tell others the good news and it became the mission statement of the early church. After reading the passage from Isaiah, Jesus then said the unexpected. Verses 20 and 21 say that Jesus proclaimed that neither the Jews nor the world had to wait for God s day to come, because, in fact, it began as he read the scroll. Empowered by the Spirit, Jesus stood before them as the Messiah with a mission. Jesus showed them what God looked like. He also showed all those who want to follow him how to best imitate God. We imitate God by doing what Jesus did and living how Jesus lived. We are called to bring good news to the poor, set prisoners free, give sight to the blind, set free the oppressed. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. seemed to be pointing to the same message in his final speech before his death. He was speaking to a group in Memphis as they prepared to support striking sanitation workers. It s all right to talk about long white robes over yonder, in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here! It s all right to talk about streets flowing with milk and honey, but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can t eat three square meals a day. It s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God s preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee. This is what we have to do. Basically, Dr. King was saying what Jesus intended for the Jews in the first century is what God has called God s people to be about today. In claiming this, Jesus spoke with authority and all the people were amazed. Today, we are called to continue to fulfill the role that Jesus began and to live out that mission statement. As we proceed through Lent, we are called to show God s acts of compassion. As most of you know, we are doing that together as a church by setting aside an activity or food item during Lent in order to raise money for folks in need of safe water around the world. Thank you to everyone who has already joined in this effort, and if you ve haven t, today is a great day to start. This is a simple way to help those in real need to hear about Jesus through the gift of clean water. Are you ready to follow the call to walk as Jesus walked and to live as Jesus did? Well, you don t have to do it alone. Let s do it together. As we continue on this Lenten journey, let s keep our eyes open for the people God has called us to serve in our community. Let s join together and help bring safe water to those in need around the world. Let s ask the Holy Spirit to fall on us afresh and follow God s call to do what Jesus did and to live as Jesus lived. 20

21 4The Unnamed Sinful Woman and Simon Written by Fawn Parish introduction Recently filmmaker George Lucas attended his fortieth high school reunion. A lady went up to him and said, George, if I had known Luke Skywalker was walking around inside your head, I would have been nicer to you in drama class. Like Georges Lucas s former classmate, we can be, to our own hurt, dismissive of people. We think there are two types of people: undesirables and desirable people. We want to be associated with the desirable in people. Whole industries exist just to feed our insatiable appetite for knowing their every move. The people we think Jesus calls in are those with right doctrine, right behavior, and the right politics. They think like us; they act like us; they are our cultural equals, our social peers. Those undesirables the tattooed former prisoner, the homeless man on the corner, the sassy-mouthed teenaged addict, the people who work at massage parlors or dance at gentlemen s clubs well, their coming to Jesus is always questionable and suspicious. They just aren t the kind of people we invite to our dinner parties. scripture: Luke 7: When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee s house and reclined at the table. 37 A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38 As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. 39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is that she is a sinner. 40 Jesus answered him, Simon, I have something to tell you. Tell me, teacher, he said. 41 Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more? 43 Simon replied, I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven. You have judged correctly, Jesus said. 21

22 44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. 48 Then Jesus said to her, Your sins are forgiven. 49 The other guests began to say among themselves, Who is this who even forgives sins? 50 Jesus said to the woman, Your faith has saved you; go in peace. sermon Some of us are recovering Pharisees, and Simon s response to the sinner woman is not that far from our own scandalized dis-ease. Simon questions Jesus status, based on his acceptance of this woman s worship. Simon reasons, If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is that she is a sinner. Simon is outraged that this woman, whose hands most likely have touched many men, is now touching Jesus, weeping at his feet, and drying his freshly perfumed feet with her hair. She is no stranger to illegitimate intimacy. Her body has been used by many, but now she is using her tears, her hair, her expensive perfume to anoint Jesus, and Jesus does not draw back. He moves closer, he breathes deep her offering, letting her tears wash over him. Jesus receives her worship and gives her a presidential pardon. He forgives her sins and tells her to go in peace. The tension in the room it s palpable. Everyone in the room is appalled. But this moment is not really about her. This whole evening is about recognizing Jesus. Simon the religious man is clueless as to the identity of his dinner guest. He who made all worlds, he whose fingertips set stars to burning, he who spoke the universe into being, he who said to the sea This far, and no further, he who created the tree that became Simon s table, sits before him. But for Simon, Jesus is just an interesting dinner companion. Bad religion had given Simon macular degeneration. For Simon, God is about rules and regulations, dotting Is and crossing Ts for Simon, God was commoditized, codified, certified, and franchised. God was entirely predictable. There was no way God himself could be eating fried chicken with Simon for dinner. Simon had macular degeneration about Jesus. If we don t see Jesus clearly, we rarely see anyone else clearly. For Simon the sinner woman was just another undesirable. Someone who was breaking all the rules, someone whose very presence defiled the atmosphere. Yet, unlike Simon, the woman sees Jesus clearly. For her, Jesus is worth breaking through social barriers, someone worthy of costly sacrifice. For her, Jesus is someone who touches you so deeply that you weep for the beauty of him. For her, Jesus blazes like the light of a thousand suns. Her tears were the currency of her love. She pours out costly perfume on Jesus feet because for her, Jesus is the fragrance of life. 22