A WAKE UP CALL FROM DOWNTOWN BUFFALO

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1 ST. BARTHOLOMEW S ANGLICAN PRO-CATHEDRAL IN THE TOWN OF TONAWANDA The Rev. Fr. Arthur W. Ward, Jr. + Rector Scripture: Various The Great Wake Up Call A WAKE UP CALL FROM DOWNTOWN BUFFALO Two weeks ago, I spoke to a crowd in downtown Buffalo across from Niagara Square in front of the new Federal Courthouse Building. One the glass behind me was the US Constitution written in white letters. It was a fitting setting for why we were there. Hundreds had gathered to protest the mandate in the new Healthcare Law requiring that the health insurance companies of religious institutions pay for contraception, including pills that would induce abortions, and sterilization. Such things are contrary to Roman Catholic teaching and in some part against general Christian teaching as well. At the rally, I began my address, by thanking President Obama for awakening a sleeping giant. My point was clear this overreach of the Federal Government power in violating the First Amendment has galvanized many people of faith. And many, who had been asleep unaware of the subtle but steady infringements upon religious liberty and people of faith, are now beginning to wake-up. It remains to be seen whether or not the sleeping giant will stay awake. But there is another wake-up call in the history of mankind unlike any other. This wake-up call has eternal consequences, this wake-up call tells us that what we do does matter, that there is coming a day when all will be held accountable, when death itself, evil itself will be vanquished forever. This great wake-up call is what we celebrate today the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I have been a believer since a young boy. Many Easter Sundays have come and gone. This is my 17th Easter Sunday as a priest of St. Bartholomew s. We have shared many Easter Sundays together over the years. Some may wonder, do you ever run out of things to say when it is the same thing every year. Absolutely not. As I get older the significance, the wonder, the incredible reality of the resurrection becomes more and more amazing and relevant. There is no other explanation for our world in its present form. There is no other hope for our world. There is no other option that makes sense of life. And while over the years we have looked at why the resurrection is important, and why we can believe it is true, today I want to talk about what it means for us today right now- as a church and as individuals. IT S TIME TO AWAKE FROM OUR SLUMBER! You see we need to be awakened from our slumber. 1

2 Earlier this week I was asked what are the greatest challenges you face as a pastor in the church? It is a good question. And after 17 years I think I can give not only an honest and true answer. It is not hypocrisy, or division, or even apostasy. No, there are two things that I believe are the biggest for the church as a whole and for us as individuals. Both are indicative of us being in Western Society and Culture. You won t find them as much of an issue in the churches of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, or Asia. But you will find this a problem in Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and of course in the United States. They are apathy and busyness. You ask, what do you mean? First, apathy literally means passive indifference, it is a lack of interest or concern, especially regarding matters of general importance or appeal. It s a lack of excitement about something when you should be excited about it. In other words, it's the attitude I can take it or leave it. It really doesn t do much for me. And while many may not think that in their head when it comes to God and Christ, often times the heart and the body demonstrate a different reality. You can have good intentions but we know that good intentions don't accomplish anything if they are not followed by right action. The second is busyness. We have so much to do and so little time to do it. We have places to go, people to meet, things to do. If you go online you will find article after article on the problem of busyness in America both from secular and Christian psychologists. One recent book from a Christian perspective by Dr. Rick Fowler and Cassie Finley "Too Busy to Live: the Addiction America Applauds" contends that business is a dangerous life style that leads to stress, fatigue, fear, guilt, anger, and family breakups. The authors discuss how the problem can be overcome by establishing and maintaining a healthy balance of work, worship, and family and play. But I like how a one secular writer, Dr. Liah Greenfield, professor of the Social Sciences at Boston University put it when she wrote, "Americans who suffer from busyness today do not prioritize. They treat all their occupations work, family, and even leisure as equally important This disturbing inability to prioritize, which is the direct, proximate, cause of our oppressive sense of busyness, is undoubtedly related to the difficulty modern men and women, Americans above all, have forming their identities." Did you catch that? difficulty in forming our identities In other words, why do we do what we do? What is our overarching purpose in life? If you understand who you are, and why you are here then you will be able to prioritize accordingly. The fact is most of us are too busy and sometimes we don't even know it. Our schedules are loaded with so many things to do. And then we have so many options for entertainment the obsession with sports today is unbelievable. We need to get back to the basics. We need to prioritize. That is one of the messages of the Resurrection! It doesn t just give us hope. It doesn t just confirm that Christ is God in the flesh, it tell us that 2

3 what we do, matters! What we do with our time, our money, our lives makes all the difference. And the time is short. The majority of us here today will not be here in 40 years. So what are you going to do during your short time here on earth? That s the question. MARK 3:13-15 We find the answer in the Word of God. busyness in Mark 3: We find the antidote to this spirit of apathy, this spirit of Now before we look at that passage do you remember what happened what Jesus did before He appointed the twelve to be His apostles? He called them to follow, didn t He? And we are told in the Gospels that they immediately left what they were doing and followed Him. They didn t know all the reasons why to follow, they didn t have all the answers, they just knew that Jesus was important and they had to trust him. In that moment of time, everything else became less important in comparison with following Christ. And they responded by faith. It is no different today. Jesus is calling out to us from the cross, from the empty tomb. Will we follow? Will we trust Him? Now why did Jesus call His disciples? Three reasons are given in our passage. Mk. 3:13-15: And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons. THREE REASONS WHY JESUS CALLS US TO BE HIS DISCIPLES 1) To be with Him. Is there anything better? To be able to be with the One who made you, the One who loves you, the One who can fulfill you? God made us to be in relationship not just with one another but with Himself! To be with Jesus takes first priority over everything. I am reminded when Jesus came to the home of sisters, Martha and Mary as told in Lk. 10: Mary sat at Jesus feet to listen to His word, but Martha was so busy trying to get everything ready. She told the Lord to tell her sister to help her. But Jesus said to Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her. The resurrection confirms the call to follow Jesus so that we can in fact be with Him. Now in the present, and in the future after we die, and then forever. Jesus invested Himself in each of the twelve Apostles for three years. Spending time with them was His first priority. If God wants to spend time with us, shouldn t we make it our first priority in life? 3

4 So how are we to be with Jesus? Through the Holy Spirit and prayer, through His Word, through the breaking of bread the Holy Eucharist, through being a member of the Body of Christ and by reflecting His love to others. That s how were to be with Jesus. There is no other way. But it requires a decision to FIRST spend our time with Him. But now look at the second reason for Christ s call: 2) To go out and preach now you may say well that is not my calling or gift. It is true not everyone is called to preach the gospel or be in fulltime ministry. And yet, our Lord tells us that we are to be let the light of Christ, and we are to let our light shine so that others know that we are believers by what we say, how we say it, and by what we do. That s why Jesus said in Mt. 5:16, Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. It is why we are called ambassadors in 2 Cor. 5:20. It is why we are called witnesses in Acts 1:8. We are to let the world know that Jesus is alive, that He lives in us and that He is the only hope for mankind. But you are not going to be able to let your light shine unless you are spending time with Jesus first BE with Jesus - the first priority - and then go out and let your light shine. What s the third reason or purpose Jesus gave His disciples? 3) Have authority to cast out demons the idea of the demonic is not often recognized in the Western world except at the movies. But the fact is there is a world of supernatural evil that will manifest itself both supernaturally and through the natural world in the hearts of individuals. Jesus warned us. He confronted the demonic, but notice that He gave us power over the demonic and evil. That s what we just read. Let me read you another verse from God s Word. Jesus said in Lk.10:18-20: And He said to them, I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven. We are born into this war between good and evil - and our conscience knows for the most part the difference. But it isn't until you understand God and the way He operates that you can appreciate the depth of human sin and satanic rebellion. And in this war, the devil doesn t rest. Recall 1 Peter 5:8: "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." That's why Jesus said on a number of occasions - Be ready, Keep watch, Stay alert, Keep awake! Now we can rest at times there is a reason why God ordained the Sabbath we are to rest from our busyness and we are to rest in God s power, in the power of the cross we are no longer under condemnation, but we have to exercise the power of the Spirit which has been given to us. We are to resist. Recall the next verse 1 Peter 5:9: "But resist him, firm in your faith..." 4

5 In other words, we have been given the authority and the power, but we have to use it. And we won t be able to use it unless we are in tune with the Holy Spirit. And the only way you will get in tune is if we are spending time with Jesus. Now some may ask why don t we see more manifestations? Well, if you are not seeking it out, then generally it is not going to come to you and manifest itself. But when people are involved in the occult, when they are following after false gods and false religion the demonic manifests itself. Also addictions are related to demonic spirits. You see the devil seeks to possess, oppress, and get us to obsess. He can t possess the believer. However, he can oppress us and cause us to obsess. The great news is that the power of Christ the power of the cross and the resurrection overcomes the evil one and demonic power if we turn and follow. I am reminded of what Pastor Jim Cymbala said a couple weeks ago at a luncheon for pastors involved with the upcoming Franklin Graham Festival in September. He spoke of what happened many years ago at a prayer meeting at his church. He is pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle in New York City. He began with a couple dozen people and today they have over 10,000 on a Sunday. He mentioned how at one service a small Puerto Rican woman struggling with drug addiction came forward for prayer. However, as she approached Pastor Cymbala all of a sudden a loud voices echoed from her mouth, saying "Leave her alone! Leave her alone! She s ours, and you ll never have her! Never! She then charged Pastor Cymbala and grabbed his throat and ripped the collar right off his shirt like it was tissue paper. After throwing her back, he along with others present laid hands on her and rebuked the evil spirits in Jesus' name as they continued to pray for her. Soon the voices were gone. The spirits had fled. She stood up sobbing and Pastor Cymbala held up her hands as the congregation sang a song about the blood of Jesus. Today she is on staff with the church. Her testimony can be found in chapter 12, of Pastor Cymbala s most recent book, Spirit Rising. But something else continues at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Every Tuesday night some 3000 people gather together for prayer. And let me tell you miracles happen, lives are transformed, that church is impacting New York City, the nation and the world for the Gospel. But it all begins with being with Jesus Christ. WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR? So let me ask you, What excites you? What is your passion? Why do you do what you do with your life? Have you sought the Lord first to help you answer those questions? You are not your own master. Your body is not even your own. God s Word says 1 Cor. 6:20, "You were bought with a price. Therefore glorify Christ in your own body." 5

6 I can guarantee that a 100 years from now much of what we worry about, get all worked up about, and do today is not going to matter. All that s going to matter is what we did for the kingdom of God. Did we invest in our relationship with the Lord, did we invest in our relationships with other people, did we work for the common good, did we live for Jesus Christ? Think about it, what else will matter a hundred years from now? And so my challenge today is this: For those outside the flock of Christ, it s time to go through the gate that is Christ. It is time to say no more to the world, to the devil to those things that keep you from having an abiding relationship with Christ. For those who on the fence, it s time to jump off the fence and get into the fold. And for those in the fold it is time wake up from your slumber and to stop being apathetic or too busy for the Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, AMEN! 6