Manifesting The Power of God Pentecost 14, Proper 16C August 25, 2013 Jeremiah 1:4-10; Psalm 71:1-6; Hebrews 12:18-29; Luke 13:10-17. Introduction: In the Collect of the Day, we prayed that the Church gathered together in unity by God s Holy Spirit, may show forth God s power among all peoples. The Collect at the 8:00 service said, may manifest thy power among all peoples. How do we do this? Even with the assumption that we have been gathered in unity through the work of the Holy Spirit, how do we manifest God s power; and why would it be important to do such? Addressing the last question first, I think It Is Important To Show People God s Power in order to separate Almighty God, Creator of Heaven and Earth, from the powerless gods of this world. In our lesson from Psalm 71, we read that we are to take refuge in the Lord, a righteous God who is able to save us by setting us free from the power of sin. The issue is that only a righteous God has the power to deliver us from the power of sin. The other gods of this world will deceive us by leading us in religious ways, or practices, or disciplines, but they simply cannot save us through their own, inherent, righteous power. Only Almighty God, Creator of
Heaven and Earth can save. The god of horoscopes can influence our decisions but not save us. The gods behind the endless wheel of reincarnation, or the disciplined life of Islam, can make you work harder trying to become good enough to earn heaven, but they cannot save you through their own self-possessed righteous power. The gods of meditations, crystals, and out-of-body experiences can create heighten spiritual awareness in people, but cannot release your soul from sin-induced guilt through their very own righteous power. So, how do we rightly show people the power of Almighty God, who not only created Heaven and Earth but can forgive sin? One way comes from The Example of Jeremiah: Today s lesson from Jeremiah shows one way that God s power is demonstrated through the lives of people whom God raises up to speak for the Almighty. This is an awesome and fearful enterprise. Our lesson informs us that God knew Jeremiah before he was formed in the womb. He was consecrated, that is set aside for God before he was born. With that length of time with God, it would be easy to assume that Jeremiah always felt close to God and was automatically ready to be a prophet for God. Yet, that is 2
not what the Scriptures say. Like Moses and Isaiah before him, Jeremiah offered excuses when God called him: Ah, Sovereign Lord, I do not know how to speak; I am only a child. God rebuked Jeremiah s excuse of being too young, even as he rebuked Moses excuse of having a stuttering tongue, and Isaiah s excuse of having unclean lips. God said to Jeremiah, Do not say, I am only a child. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, Now, I have put my words in your mouth. The point of this is that God has the power to supernaturally change people s lives, including calling, consecrating, and equipping people to speak for the Almighty. I realize I am on a slippery slope here. I know God called me to the office of Pastor/Teacher and to Ordained Ministry. Of necessity, this also means preaching, which assumes I am speaking for God. Yet, we all know preachers do not always truthfully speak for God. The struggle for all who preach is to keep prayedup. For me, it involves constantly praying that God will forgive me of my sin, wash me clean, fill me with His Holy 3
Spirit, and set me aside. Then, I endeavor to listen to the Holy Spirit for Sunday s message, and the teaching on Thursday, and so forth. And, even if I hear perfectly and understand the message completely, the words still have to come through a fallible human being; and all preachers struggle with not letting their own opinions and ego taint God s message. So, it is with some fear and trepidation each week that I stand before you trying to deliver what I believe (or hope) that God has given me for us. Pastor Bruce Theilman wrote these words trying to describe the preaching function: There is no special honor in preaching, there is only special pain. The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls its sailors. And like the sea, it batters and bruises and does not rest. To preach, to really preach is to die naked a little at a time and to know each time you do it, you must do it again." When the process is working as God designed it, then these messages actually touch people with a word from the Lord for your lives. If all of us are spiritually, and prayerfully, careful what we say in Christ s name then God can have a powerful effect through us into the lives of our children and each other. That is one way our church can show forth God s power. Another way we show others God s power comes from 4
The Hebrews Lesson: The context for today s Hebrews lesson is the Exodus when Moses went up the mountain to have a meeting with God, from which the Ten Commandments were given. The author of Hebrews is reminding the Christian community that God is so holy that His presence on the mountain meant that no other living thing could be present, except my God s invitation. Even with God s invitation, Moses said, I am trembling with fear. The author of Hebrews shows the spiritual reality behind that actual, earthly encounter. He says the real spiritual meaning behind Israel s meeting with God at Mount Horeb was they were really at Mount Zion, at the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God, where thousands upon thousands of angels are assembled in joyful adoration before Almighty God. The scene prepares us to be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. The second way we show forth God s Power is through the spiritual quality of our worship. The Bible says we are to worship God in spirit and truth. So, how we come to worship; how we allow the Holy Spirit to fill 5
our minds and hearts; how we glorify God for His grace and mercy towards us; how we confess our sins and open our hearts and minds to God s amazing grace; how unashamed we are to reveal our need for, and dependence upon the Living God all makes for a worship experience that God can use to touch people s lives and witness to those who don t yet know that we worship the living God. We speak for God. We worship God in Spirit and Truth, and thirdly we show God s power because We Don t Let Religious Formalities Stand Between Us and God: In our Gospel lesson Jesus had the audacity to heal on the Sabbath. He healed a woman who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. Imagine, if you will, that someone comes here and requests healing prayers and we say to her, we can t pray those prayers on Sunday because they would interfere with the flow of the liturgy. That s what the leader of the synagogue where Jesus was teaching and healing said to the congregation: healing on the Sabbath is not kosher. In effect, he was saying that God cares more about religious rituals than people. To the synagogue leader Jesus responded, You hypocrites! Doesn t each 6
of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her? Jesus confrontation back then speaks to the hearts of many today. Many people are burned out on religion that doesn t satisfy the deepest needs of the soul, while still longing to make contact with the living God. That was also true in Jesus day. The Gospel lesson finishes with these words: When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. The religious people of Jesus day were using their religious life to build themselves up in their own eyes, and to make themselves look better than others. Jesus came to show people the nearness, the love, and the saving power of Almighty God. The ordinary people saw the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes; and they also saw the genuineness of Jesus. Fifth years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous I Have A Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. God used him to infuse a non-violent, Spirit-filled, movement that opened the door 7
to full civil rights for all of America s citizens. It was a Christ-centered movement. As such it did not happen within the walls of traditional religion. It happened in the streets, the marketplaces, and in the minds and hearts of millions of people. It changed the nation. That is our challenge today. We religious people need to understand that religion is a means to an end; it is not the end. Relationship with the living God is the end. We must maintain a right religious attitude, as Jesus did, but when it is necessary to minister God s love to another soul we must be willing to step outside the religious norms in order to show forth the power of God. Holy Cross is to be a place and a people who truly love others as we love ourselves. When that becomes our daily attitude God will bring people to us, and us to others for the purpose of establishing relationships. In those relationships, God constructs a bridge between us. One day, God willing, Jesus will walk across that bridge from our lives into the lives of others. God s power will change those souls from sinners to saints; will give them new names the redeemed of the Lord ; will write their names in the Lamb s Book of Life; and at the last day, will usher them into eternity with these words: Well done, good and faithful servant; enter into 8
your eternal reward. All this happens because of the work of Jesus on their behalf, and our willingness to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us in order to show them the power of God for their lives. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. 9