The parades have passed, the King Cake is all gone, and the season of Lent has begun as we prepare ourselves for the severity of the cross on Good Friday and the joy of the empty tomb on Easter! Some of us imposed Ashes on our heads last Wednesday, but that does not mean we got any extra points. It just means we engaged in a meaningful tradition that reminds us of our mortality and the grace and mercy of God that holds us as we all get through this thing called life.
In case you are curious about the season of Lent and the way ashes and other disciplines might help us to get ready for Easter, there is a video by Rev Anne Russ posted on our Facebook page. One thing I will say about Lent is that I am routinely asked whether or not Presbyterians give things up and why or why not.
The simplest answer is that it doesn’t hurt, but God’s going to love you no matter what you do. The longer answer is that some people find that giving something up can help them to reconsider their priorities in life and become more focused on God, but if you are giving something up to prove something to God (or to yourself) and you plan to pick it back up in the same way after Lent then it might not really be an authentic expression of faith. That’s not to say that it can’t be. It’s just a reminder that faith is not the result of works, rather our actions are the result of our faith.
Some will find that focusing on a positive action helps them feel more responsive to God’s grace, so instead of letting something go, they might pick something up. They might pick up a new habits like writing thank you cards, volunteering some time to help others, or just taking time to pray every day.
I don’t usually offer much direction around Lenten disciplines apart from encouraging you to consider this time of year as a time to focus on your understanding of and response to God’s grace and mercy in your life. This year is a little different because I am actually asking members and regular worshipers to join in a study on the Great Ends of the Church.
For those that have not received the info that we have sent out about the Great Ends of the Church, the “Great Ends” are a way of saying “the purpose” of the church – not just First Presbyterian; not just the Presbyterian Church (USA); but The Church – that means the collective witness of all who follows the way of being in the world that Jesus established for us to follow.
I’m going to guess that you see the problem that is inherent in that statement. Even in this room – not to mention those worshiping online – I would bet that there is some difference of opinion about the nature and purpose of following the way of Jesus. If you don’t believe me, just go to a Library Board of Control meeting or any of the hundreds of public school board meetings across the country (especially in FL).
With such disagreement in the world between those that claim to follow the way of Jesus, it seems to me that it is as important as it ever was that we find agreement here – not unanimity, not conformity for the sake of unity, but a real, faithful attempt to find agreement in the way we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope of salvation!
Some would say that is pretty much all that we are here for – and it is essential to our task and identity as God’s people – but it is also a starting point for our relationships with each other and all of God’s good creation, and the first “Great End” that we’re going to explore.
The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind is a mouthful, and it is very “churchy” language. It’s not the kind of thing you say in the breakroom or at your pokeno group or even at the Chili Supper. Even at that glorious fellowship event, if someone said, “What’s new at FPC?” I doubt any of us would have said, “Oh, you know, proclaiming the gospel for the salvation of humankind for almost 150 years now.”
Of course, we Presbyterians are not culturally comfortable saying things like that because we know that Jesus Christ is the one who saves regardless of our words and deeds and we would rather proclaim the gospel with acts of kindness anyway. Besides, actions do speak louder than words, and we don’t want to be one of those “pushy Christians.”
Still, sometimes we need to be able to say what we believe apart from recurring creeds and prayers in worship. Joseph Small is an author and theologian who edited some essays on the Great Ends and compiled them in the book, Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church. In the introduction he states, “Speaking the gospel is oddly abstract without the witness of the Christian life; the witness of a Christian life without the gospel narrative is vague and ambiguous.”
Or as Paul said to the church in Rome (10:14), “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?”
Clearly, there is a mandate to be able to articulate what we believe about the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ and connect it to why we do what we do as followers of the way of Jesus! This first “Great End” tells us that it is explicitly connected to the salvation of humankind.
Now, what does that mean? What do the scriptures we have read today have to say about the good news about Jesus and the salvation of humankind? In this day and age, these are questions that can easily put us at odds depending on a person’s background and context.
A traditional view of these three texts will tell you that sin began in the Garden of Eden and created separation and enmity between God and humanity. Just as sin came through one man – which is funny to me because Christian tradition frames Eve as the aggressor, yet Paul names Adam – salvation from sin came through Jesus. Then Matthew’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ temptation, which the Pauline tradition refers to in Hebrews 4:15 when it says that he was “tempted in every way like we are, yet he did not sin.”
None of that is necessarily wrong, but it carries with it some assumptions that, according to Pastor and Public Speaker Danielle Shroyer’s book Original Blessing, may not track with the original view of Genesis 3 or Paul’s view of sin and even the point of the trials of Jesus. To be clear, she is not saying that sin does not create separation between us or that Jesus is not God’s answer to that separation.
She does say, and I am paraphrasing, that an orientation around our inability to know God sets us up for alienation from God and from one another. If we see the story of Adam and Eve as an archetype (which is how Paul uses Adam) then sin is less of a fundamental flaw and more of a description of our experience of the world as limited, finite creatures. To sin is literally to miss the mark, and the mark is to live as those created by God who reflects the character and nature of God in our care of one another and of all of God's good creation.
Regardless of the way you understand sin the result is still the same, and Ms. Shroyer argues that the thing that we often miss in our preoccupation with the activity of sin or the state of sinfulness is that Jesus did not just come to offer a moral framework. He came to conquer death and to offer a life lived in God’s presence.
In the narrative of his temptation, we see the humanity of Jesus in full display, but we also find the invitation to live as God intended. The first thing to note about all of this is that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” It does get a little confusing to talk about Jesus apart from God, but was he?
This happened right after his baptism, where God named and claimed him. Immediately he’s brought into the wilderness where he must have wondered what all this was about. There he is tempted by hunger, by the invitation to make God prove God’s intentions, and by the offer of power and control over his own destiny apart from God’s will and power and control over the lives of others whom he could rule.
The good news in all of this is that Jesus not only gives us an example to follow but empowers us and imbues us with a sure knowledge of the God who is with us, within us, and experiences between us! Surely, the church is where we see the work of resistance take place in the same way Jesus resisted temptation in the wilderness. Surely, the church is the place where we expect God’s providence without demanding proof of God’s activity. Surely, the church is the one institution that stands against the tyranny of the empire simply because we trust in the One who has conquered death in order to offer life in its fullness here and now and life eternal with God!
Surely the church is the place that proclaims this good news in word and deed in the hope of salvation for all people everywhere, but I do have a story to leave you with from a basketball team in TX. In Gainesville TX there is a youth detention center, and boys with good behavior and grades get to play sports. Sadly, many of their family live far away and lack the resources to attend their games. Two boys on an opposing team, Vanguard College Prep, realized it and organized a fan base for the other team out of their own parents and classmates. They created banners, wore their colors, and even divided the cheerleading squad between sides.
One of the players interviewed said, “When I’m an old man, I’ll still remember this day.” There are three things I want you to notice about this. First is that children in juvenile detention centers don’t often talk about their future and may not expect to have one. Second is that the reason all this happened is that two people considered the needs of those they were not supposed to care about – if anything, competitors are expected to exploit the weaknesses of opponents – and talked about it together.
The last thing is that there was no mention of Jesus or salvation, but I believe this is clearly an expression of the salvation that follows the way of Jesus offers. Imagine what a witness it could be if the church – not just First Presbyterian or the PC(USA), but all who follow the way of Jesus – were able to proclaim the gospel of salvation in this way as a collective witness of empathy and care, and faith.
We in this congregation may not be able to impact the collective witness of all who follows the way of Jesus, but we can do our part – and we often do! My hope is that you continue to think and pray about the ways that we can – and already do – proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humankind. At least I pray it may be so with me, and with you, and to God be the glory now and always. Amen!
In case you are curious about the season of Lent and the way ashes and other disciplines might help us to get ready for Easter, there is a video by Rev Anne Russ posted on our Facebook page. One thing I will say about Lent is that I am routinely asked whether or not Presbyterians give things up and why or why not.
The simplest answer is that it doesn’t hurt, but God’s going to love you no matter what you do. The longer answer is that some people find that giving something up can help them to reconsider their priorities in life and become more focused on God, but if you are giving something up to prove something to God (or to yourself) and you plan to pick it back up in the same way after Lent then it might not really be an authentic expression of faith. That’s not to say that it can’t be. It’s just a reminder that faith is not the result of works, rather our actions are the result of our faith.
Some will find that focusing on a positive action helps them feel more responsive to God’s grace, so instead of letting something go, they might pick something up. They might pick up a new habits like writing thank you cards, volunteering some time to help others, or just taking time to pray every day.
I don’t usually offer much direction around Lenten disciplines apart from encouraging you to consider this time of year as a time to focus on your understanding of and response to God’s grace and mercy in your life. This year is a little different because I am actually asking members and regular worshipers to join in a study on the Great Ends of the Church.
For those that have not received the info that we have sent out about the Great Ends of the Church, the “Great Ends” are a way of saying “the purpose” of the church – not just First Presbyterian; not just the Presbyterian Church (USA); but The Church – that means the collective witness of all who follows the way of being in the world that Jesus established for us to follow.
I’m going to guess that you see the problem that is inherent in that statement. Even in this room – not to mention those worshiping online – I would bet that there is some difference of opinion about the nature and purpose of following the way of Jesus. If you don’t believe me, just go to a Library Board of Control meeting or any of the hundreds of public school board meetings across the country (especially in FL).
With such disagreement in the world between those that claim to follow the way of Jesus, it seems to me that it is as important as it ever was that we find agreement here – not unanimity, not conformity for the sake of unity, but a real, faithful attempt to find agreement in the way we proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope of salvation!
Some would say that is pretty much all that we are here for – and it is essential to our task and identity as God’s people – but it is also a starting point for our relationships with each other and all of God’s good creation, and the first “Great End” that we’re going to explore.
The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind is a mouthful, and it is very “churchy” language. It’s not the kind of thing you say in the breakroom or at your pokeno group or even at the Chili Supper. Even at that glorious fellowship event, if someone said, “What’s new at FPC?” I doubt any of us would have said, “Oh, you know, proclaiming the gospel for the salvation of humankind for almost 150 years now.”
Of course, we Presbyterians are not culturally comfortable saying things like that because we know that Jesus Christ is the one who saves regardless of our words and deeds and we would rather proclaim the gospel with acts of kindness anyway. Besides, actions do speak louder than words, and we don’t want to be one of those “pushy Christians.”
Still, sometimes we need to be able to say what we believe apart from recurring creeds and prayers in worship. Joseph Small is an author and theologian who edited some essays on the Great Ends and compiled them in the book, Proclaiming the Great Ends of the Church. In the introduction he states, “Speaking the gospel is oddly abstract without the witness of the Christian life; the witness of a Christian life without the gospel narrative is vague and ambiguous.”
Or as Paul said to the church in Rome (10:14), “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?”
Clearly, there is a mandate to be able to articulate what we believe about the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ and connect it to why we do what we do as followers of the way of Jesus! This first “Great End” tells us that it is explicitly connected to the salvation of humankind.
Now, what does that mean? What do the scriptures we have read today have to say about the good news about Jesus and the salvation of humankind? In this day and age, these are questions that can easily put us at odds depending on a person’s background and context.
A traditional view of these three texts will tell you that sin began in the Garden of Eden and created separation and enmity between God and humanity. Just as sin came through one man – which is funny to me because Christian tradition frames Eve as the aggressor, yet Paul names Adam – salvation from sin came through Jesus. Then Matthew’s Gospel tells the story of Jesus’ temptation, which the Pauline tradition refers to in Hebrews 4:15 when it says that he was “tempted in every way like we are, yet he did not sin.”
None of that is necessarily wrong, but it carries with it some assumptions that, according to Pastor and Public Speaker Danielle Shroyer’s book Original Blessing, may not track with the original view of Genesis 3 or Paul’s view of sin and even the point of the trials of Jesus. To be clear, she is not saying that sin does not create separation between us or that Jesus is not God’s answer to that separation.
She does say, and I am paraphrasing, that an orientation around our inability to know God sets us up for alienation from God and from one another. If we see the story of Adam and Eve as an archetype (which is how Paul uses Adam) then sin is less of a fundamental flaw and more of a description of our experience of the world as limited, finite creatures. To sin is literally to miss the mark, and the mark is to live as those created by God who reflects the character and nature of God in our care of one another and of all of God's good creation.
Regardless of the way you understand sin the result is still the same, and Ms. Shroyer argues that the thing that we often miss in our preoccupation with the activity of sin or the state of sinfulness is that Jesus did not just come to offer a moral framework. He came to conquer death and to offer a life lived in God’s presence.
In the narrative of his temptation, we see the humanity of Jesus in full display, but we also find the invitation to live as God intended. The first thing to note about all of this is that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” It does get a little confusing to talk about Jesus apart from God, but was he?
This happened right after his baptism, where God named and claimed him. Immediately he’s brought into the wilderness where he must have wondered what all this was about. There he is tempted by hunger, by the invitation to make God prove God’s intentions, and by the offer of power and control over his own destiny apart from God’s will and power and control over the lives of others whom he could rule.
The good news in all of this is that Jesus not only gives us an example to follow but empowers us and imbues us with a sure knowledge of the God who is with us, within us, and experiences between us! Surely, the church is where we see the work of resistance take place in the same way Jesus resisted temptation in the wilderness. Surely, the church is the place where we expect God’s providence without demanding proof of God’s activity. Surely, the church is the one institution that stands against the tyranny of the empire simply because we trust in the One who has conquered death in order to offer life in its fullness here and now and life eternal with God!
Surely the church is the place that proclaims this good news in word and deed in the hope of salvation for all people everywhere, but I do have a story to leave you with from a basketball team in TX. In Gainesville TX there is a youth detention center, and boys with good behavior and grades get to play sports. Sadly, many of their family live far away and lack the resources to attend their games. Two boys on an opposing team, Vanguard College Prep, realized it and organized a fan base for the other team out of their own parents and classmates. They created banners, wore their colors, and even divided the cheerleading squad between sides.
One of the players interviewed said, “When I’m an old man, I’ll still remember this day.” There are three things I want you to notice about this. First is that children in juvenile detention centers don’t often talk about their future and may not expect to have one. Second is that the reason all this happened is that two people considered the needs of those they were not supposed to care about – if anything, competitors are expected to exploit the weaknesses of opponents – and talked about it together.
The last thing is that there was no mention of Jesus or salvation, but I believe this is clearly an expression of the salvation that follows the way of Jesus offers. Imagine what a witness it could be if the church – not just First Presbyterian or the PC(USA), but all who follow the way of Jesus – were able to proclaim the gospel of salvation in this way as a collective witness of empathy and care, and faith.
We in this congregation may not be able to impact the collective witness of all who follows the way of Jesus, but we can do our part – and we often do! My hope is that you continue to think and pray about the ways that we can – and already do – proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of humankind. At least I pray it may be so with me, and with you, and to God be the glory now and always. Amen!
Comments