“Living the Good News of Easter”         2013

Deuteronomy 8:11-18       Colossians 3:1-12

 

Deuteronomy 8:11-18

11Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. 12When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, 13and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, 14then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, 15who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid wasteland with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, 16and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. 17Do not say to yourself, “My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth.” 18But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, so that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your ancestors, as he is doing today.

 

Colossians 3:1-12

1So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. 5Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). 6On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. 7These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. 8But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. 9Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices 10and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. 11In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all! 12As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

 

A pastor I know   received a  notice to report for jury duty.

            And when they began selecting the jurors for the trial,

                        an attorney noticed that she was a pastor and asked:

            "Do you think you can render a verdict on this case

                        without letting

                                    your religious beliefs affect your decision?"  2x

 

Well, she paused to think for a moment, and then answered,

                        "I would hope that I never make a decision

                               without my religious beliefs, my Christian faith

                                 to guide and influence whatever decision I make."

 

In a similar vein, the Colossians 3 passage is a call for us,

            to so focus on the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ,

                        that the truth of God’s grace and blessings

                                    permeates and guides our every decision and choice,

                                                every aspect of our lives, especially à

                                                            how we perceive the world around us.

vs. 1-2            

            So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.   Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

This is a call to shift our primary focus and concentration

            away from the passing and glittery things of this world,

                        and instead turn toward things that are above, the things of God,

                                       toward the grace and blessing and promises of God

                                                already at work in our lives and in this world.

 

What would you consider,

       to be the single most important thing that we can know in life?

Isn’t it the gift and Good News    of God’s gracious and saving love

     we receive through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?

 

All else in life,   all the details and things of this world à

          pale in comparison to that most critical truth:

                        that we are loved, that we are all precious,

                               and that we are blessed and called by God à

                                   to live lives that express that wonderful grace…

                    … for with our focus on that one thing,

                          all the rest will surely fall into place…

 

   … but the truth is, we can easily be distracted by

               the demands of this life, by the things that surround us à

                        that detract and diminish our focus on the Lord our God…

…for as Colossians points out, all these things can become idols,

     as things that push God   out from the center of our lives.

 

Our call is to focus on Jesus Christ, his life and teachings;

            which puts the stuff of this world in the right perspective;

                   i.e.  seek first an authentic relationship with Christ

                                 that leads to faithful and joyful discipleship.

 

That was the point and purpose of my sabbatical last month.

            Earlier this year, our leaders, the elders on Session

                        recognized signs that I was stretched too thin,

                and perhaps my focus had gotten distracted and misplaced …

 

            … and so they offered the gift   of a little time away---

                        - time to pray and meditate,   listen to God and think,

   … to get away from ministry’s busy distractions and demands,

            and stop for a season to refocus and catch a second wind.

 

I heard on my sabbatical the call of Colossians, vs. 2-3, 12

            Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. … As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

 

That same point and message are also found in Deuteronomy 8.

            The people are poised and ready to enter the Promised Land:

which for us can also serve as a metaphor or symbol

    that represents the gift and promise of God’s gracious kingdom.

 

The point of Deuteronomy 8 is,   don’t forget, but remember;

            remember your God, don’t forget what God has done for you,

                        which defines who you are – chosen & beloved of the Lord,

                                         which calls us to respond,  to live out lives of                                                        faithful and meaningful, useful discipleship.

 

Yes, the lesson in both passages really is that simple …

   it’s the application that becomes a bit more tricky & difficult.

 

Some years ago, Hewlett Packard ran a memorable ad campaign;

            which opened with a scene of a business meeting in progress;

                        struggling over plans,  stymied over making a decision.

 

Then the HP representative would brighten and ask the group,

                        "but  What if …"     (2x)

 

            which then became an “ah ha moment”   that somehow

                        lead to new thinking, to seeing whole new possibilities;

                              changing their insolvable problem into a good thing.

-- so for us, what if  we had a renewed-rekindled focus on Christ,

          that lead to an “ah ha moment” of a new perspective,

               toward a deeper and more faithful Christian discipleship?

 

*          what if    each of us

                        thought about who we  might invite to worship with us,

                                    and who do I know   who might benefit and be blessed

                                           if they did became a part of our church family?

 

*          what if          we all focused

                        on  how we might connect and help our children and youth,

                                    learn more about God's love and presence among us,

                                         and how to live as God's beloved-blessed people.

 

*          what if          more of us thought more about how we might serve …

                        … such as visiting or comforting the sick and lonely à

                                by making a phone call,  or sending a card or a note.

                       

*          what if

                        we each really did strive to learn more about God's word,

                                    to commit to Bible study & prayer as a life priority

                and every day we looked for reasons to thank and praise God?

 

*          what if   each of us were to honestly look for ways to serve,

                        for more ways to offer ourselves more freely to others,

                                    eager to do  whatever   however   God would use us?

 

We have each one of us received endless blessing from God,

            and we are part of a most incredible gift and promise of more…

 

… so our call is remember and don’t forget,

            it’s to focus and set our minds on things that are above,

                        focus on the incredible and gracious God we all serve…

 

… for the further work    of the grace and blessings we receive,

            is that God accepts our response,  and from our offerings à

                        produces far greater  than we could ever ask or imagine…

    … as we become willing participants in the work of God’s grace.

 

I had a dear friend,  an older mentor early in my ministry

            who had a long and fruitful ministry, all of it served in just one church.

As a young and inexperienced pastor, I asked him one day,

            "how do you keep fresh, and avoid spiritual stagnation?"

 

He said that what had always worked for him,

    was to make the right little decisions, all along the whole way.

He explained,

     that in life we are constantly making small choices – minor things

                        and the trick is to evaluate our choices and options

                             in terms of faithfulness to God, obedience to God’s word.

 

He found that in life, especially from a Christian perspective,

            one choice   will usually bring us a little closer to God,

                        and the other,       probably won't.

 

            One choice requires  stepping out in obedience and faith,

                        while the other seems safer, more secure, but isn't growth.

 

One path leads to being more useful in building the kingdom of God

            and the other more likely pursues the things of this world.

one offers rewards more in terms of eternal values and worth,

            the other offers more pleasure, success or recognition, 

                        but which last  only for a very short season.

 

He said it comes down to our seemingly minor decisions in life;

            that more often than not,

                   are usually quite subtle in how they build upon other little things.

Lots of choices seeming insignificant yet impact in a major way, in that,

   the one will increase our connected-ness to Christ & bear fruit.

 

It’s not necessarily an obvious choice between good and evil,

    but more likely, one way is a little more difficult, & faithful,

            one way more gracious or worthy of a beloved child of God.

   one has to do with our ego; the other, submission to God's will.

 

          He said,    that the path to choose,

                   is the one that puts us in a place where God can use us;

                             for its in being used by God -- and walking with God, 

that keeps our faith fresh, growing and alive.

 

 

That's what is at stake today, is most important this morning,

      and has everything to do with keeping our shared vision alive.

 

So what  if

          at every crossroads,   with every choice, decision or option,

                   we evaluated and acted in faith,

                             based upon what would best draw us toward God?

 

What if, starting today, we did   totally commit ourselves 

        to truly seeking God’s will and purpose for our lives,

                 pouring ourselves out entirely  in faithful discipleship

                             and choosing sacrifice rather than our own comfort?

 

 

Let the Lord’s Table today be our reminder

            of God’s grace, love, and call to faithful discipleship…

                        … and what if,

                                    with our focus on things above, we recommitted? …

 

… and refocused on living a life of obedient discipleship,

          eager to serve the Lord with my best and most willing,

                to step out in faith trusting the truth & promises of God?