Romans 12:9-21

“Love Changes Everything.”

Chapel at Covenant Living of Florida

30 August 2020

I’ve got a video clip I'd like you to see.

Love Changes Everything

That was Michael Ball singing "Love Changes Everything," which is the first song from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Aspects of Love. I chose it because the title so wonderfully summarizes what the Apostle Paul is saying in Romans 12:9-21.

Romans 12 is the lesser known of the love chapters in the Bible. But it does a great job of spelling out a kind of love that changes everything -- love that moves beyond sentimentalism -- a kind of love that is rooted in our common relationship with Jesus. For this is the kind of love that Jesus lives and that he draws us into as his followers. It’s not our love that changes everything. It is his love living in us that turns the world upside down. 

And this is what it looks like. Here is the Authorized Boydston Paraphrase. And I invite you to follow along on page 3 in the bulletin.

Make sure that the love you show is not in any way fake or hypocritical. Abhor what is evil as you cling to what is good. 10 Practice deep sacrificial love among yourselves -- the genuine kind of love you might expect to see in a healthy family. Instead of competing with one another over who is more important, excel at respecting one another. 

11 And when it comes to serving the Lord don’t throttle your spiritual enthusiasm! Pour yourself into the service of Christ. 12 As you anticipate what he is bringing about, be glad. And when you encounter trouble, hold steady and stay the course. Keep on praying. 13 Give yourself to caring for God’s needy people. Welcome strangers into your home -- and your life. 14 As Jesus said in his famous sermon in Matthew 5, pour blessings on the very people who harass you. You heard right -- instead of bad-mouthing the bad guys, overpower them with words of blessing. 15 Be empathetic --   rejoicing with those who are doing well, and crying with those who are overwhelmed by their circumstances. 16 Treat everyone as an equal. Don’t even harbor secret thoughts of superiority. Instead, freely associate with people who have no status. And don’t over-estimate the value of your understanding -- as though you’re smarter than the rest. 17 Skip pay-back time. Even if people are totally evil don’t respond by giving them a taste of their own medicine. Rather, become the poster children for honor by showing respect even for those who are unworthy of it.

18 If you’ve got peace in you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Again, dear friends, don’t insist on getting even. Let God handle whatever revenge he deems appropriate. As the Lord says in Deuteronomy 32:35, “Revenge is mine and only mine. I’ll give people what they’re due.” 20 Instead of pursuing revenge yourself, do the radical thing outlined in Proverbs 25:21-22, “If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Your generosity will eventually disturb him so much that he’ll either become a friend, or turn and run as a dog with his tail between his legs.” 21 In other words, don’t allow evil to clobber you but use good to clobber evil.

A lot in here to unpack -- all very radical and all quite contrary to the patterns of the world system mentioned in 12:1-2. This is not your sentimental feel-good approach that is so often confused with love by the rest of the world.

The passage itself is a bit shotgun in style. As Chaplain Corrie mentioned in her sermon last week, the Apostle Paul was dealing with divisions in the church -- divisions which he recognized as evil. 

So here in vss 9-21 Paul is blasting out a shotgun spray of small love pellets which will ultimately take down the evils of division -- racism, prejudice -- that we're tearing apart the church. And that shotgun spray seems pretty wide. But I’ve attempted to summarize it all in this way.

GENUINE CHRIST-ROOTED LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT TREATS PEOPLE WAY BETTER THAN THEY DESERVE. EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT TREATS PEOPLE WAY BETTER THAN THEY DESERVE.

That is, it changes things by lifting people up instead of tearing or dragging them down -- which is what division does.

And basically this involves five actions -- and these are listed on the Sermon Guide:

#1 SERVING CHRIST FULL-THROTTLE

Vs 11 -- And when it comes to serving the Lord don’t throttle your spiritual enthusiasm! Pour yourself into the service of Christ.

And the love we give to others is an expression of whole-hearted service to Christ. Loving God and loving others is totally integrated.  You can’t really do one without the other.

Jesus says in Mark 12:29-31 --

"The most important command is this:

'Listen, people of Israel!

The Lord our God is the only Lord.

Love the Lord your God with

all your heart,

all your soul,

all your mind,

and all your strength.'

The second command is this:

'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.'

There are no commands more important than these." ~ Mark 12:29-31 (NCV)

And it really helps if you’re looking at others -- even the most broken others -- and seeing Christ at work there.

He loves the hardest criminal.

He loves the most lost drug addict.

He  loves the most confused neighbor.

He even loves the presidential candidate that you loathe.

His love is cutting away at the spiritual cancer in their lives and our task as followers of Christ is to join him in extending unreserved full-throttle love. 

Colossians 3:17 -- And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. (NLT)

And as his representative you have his power -- so don’t hold back. Pour yourself into loving others -- even those you consider least deserving. That’s who we are and what we do -- full-throttle.

#2. The second act of love Paul mentions is STAYING STEADY DURING TROUBLING TIMES  

This may sound unrelated but hear me out. In Eastern thinking there is a concept called karma. Basically it is seen as a law of the universe which says that if you do bad, bad will come back at you -- but if you do good, good will return to you.

However, the world does not always operate according to the rules of karma. There are way too many exceptions. Even when you are doing the right and loving thing you may still have to deal with trouble.

And I’d suggest that perhaps the love of Christ shines the brightest when we’re facing down trouble.

Vs 12 As you anticipate what he is bringing about, be glad. And when you encounter trouble, hold steady and stay the course. Keep on praying. 

Make up your mind even before you encounter trouble that you’re not going to let the problems throw you off -- or turn you into a snarky, nasty, unloving person.

Just keep on talking through it with God. That’s prayer. 

Venting, asking, listening, and relaxing in the awareness that he listens and is at work -- usually in the background outside the line of your sight. So hold steady. Maintain communication.

And really I’m preaching to myself right now. There is so much uncertainty in my life -- in the world right now. I’m constantly in danger of withdrawing into the comfort of my own mind -- and becoming  jaded and calloused toward the outside-- the people around me.

I don’t know, maybe you’re experiencing some of that right now -- and you’re perhaps putting off loving others in the name of Christ until things settle down -- get back to normal. But here is the secret -- Loving others in the name of Christ is the way to settle things down. It’s the way through the dark times. THIS IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE!

Don’t let the pandemic issues swallow you. There are people around you who need to experience the steady love of Christ through you. And while circumstances may be less than ideal -- turbulent -- those circumstances are the context into which you’ve been called. Don’t gripe about or fixate on what you can’t do, but look for the simple and loving things you can do -- and fix on them. 

The phone call you make to someone now means a whole lot more than the phone calls you made last year.  The warm greeting to the person in the hallway is received with more joy than ever before -- even though you can’t see it because of those masks we’ve all grown so fond of.

Love changes everything.

You may not have power over the pandemic or the response of others to it but you have the power to rock the world of those near you by staying steady and calmly loving the people within your reach. Love does that. It will get us through dark times. 

So hold steady, keep loving, and keep praying. This is what God is saying to you this morning. 

Then the third action that the apostle Paul lists is:  #3 CARING FOR THE NEEDY

Vs 13 -- Give yourself to caring for God’s needy people. Welcome strangers into your home -- and your life.

Christ-driven love always involves caring for those who are in need. ALWAYS! You see, when you express care to the needy, you have no expectation of return on your investment. The needy are not in a position to pay you back. 

They are in need. And as such they drive home how God deals with us. For we are all needy people who cannot help themselves and cannot pay God back. The gift of salvation is just too great. And we are too broken. So it is all about grace. It’s all about God’s unearned and undeserved generosity.

We continually return to this point in our relationship with God and in how we relate to others.

Before he died, I worked with a homeless guy named Don for several years.  Don had schizophrenia and dementia, too. Over the years because of his mental illnesses he had burned all his bridges.

He was gruff and unresponsive to the gospel on most days. I could see why his family and everyone else had given up on him. But for some still-unknown reason God dropped Don into my lap. Maybe because I don't get too rattled by guys like him. God wired me to be laidback.

Don made life miserable for everyone and there was really no hope of a return of investment with him -- although he did once give me a check for 2 million dollars -- which I still have in a file in my office. Did I mention that Don had delusions of grandeur and believed himself to be a billionaire philanthropist?

Most people were unaware of what I was doing with him. But our church figured it out and some jumped in to help at times. We took him shopping. Intervened with the police -- when they showed up. Sometimes they brought him to our house in the middle of the night. 

It took awhile. But eventually we got him off the street and helped him manage his finances. 

And some people began to get it. Caring for people like Don is an act of Christ-like love -- worship. 

Our small church didn’t have big programs or a big budget. But I'm sure that Jesus considered it to be a very successful church because we cared for the needy -- for people like Don -- and that is Christian love -- part of the definition of Christian success.

The fact is that the need is great. Don’t get swallowed by the magnitude of it all. Again, instead of focusing on what you can’t do, start by doing what you can do. Then see how the Lord provides. 

Dare I mention the Benevolent Care Fund we have here at Covenant Living of Florida? The chapel fund offerings benefit the Benevolent Care Fund and nine other ministries. 

The gala, which we’re doing virtually this year because of the pandemic... By supporting the gala campaign you are providing for people in need -- your neighbors -- through the Benevolent Care Fund. That’s a very practical way to care. 

Yes, caring gets a little crazy at times. But it’s more energizing than any of the flashy and sexy stuff that gets all the attention.

#4 The fourth love action involves EMBRACING A HUMBLE AND REALISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF SELF. 

People who have an inflated self-understanding really don’t get the love thing because they have to make every event or incident about themselves. But Christ Jesus, the most important man to ever live, gave it all up in order to serve the world by sacrificing his life so he could restore order to the creation.

Vs 10 -- Practice deep sacrificial love among yourselves -- the genuine kind of love you might expect to see in a healthy family. Instead of competing with one another over who is more important, excel at respecting one another. 

And vs 16 -- Treat everyone as an equal. Don’t even harbor secret thoughts of superiority. Instead, freely associate with people who have no status. And don’t over-estimate the value of your understanding -- as though you’re smarter than the rest.

I probably don’t need to add anything else on this point -- other than to say that we need to read this over and over again within our current context where systemic and individual acts of racism tend to capture the headlines on more days than not.

The fifth action is COMMITMENT TO ALTERNATIVE PAY-BACK.

Vs 14 -- As Jesus said in his famous sermon in Matthew 5, pour blessings on the very people who harass you. You heard right -- instead of bad-mouthing the bad guys, overpower them with words of blessing.

Vss 17-21 -- Skip pay-back time. Even if people are totally evil don’t respond by giving them a taste of their own medicine. Rather, become the poster children for honor by showing respect even for those who are unworthy of it.

If you’ve got peace in you, live at peace with everyone. Again, dear friends, don’t insist on getting even. Let God handle whatever revenge he deems appropriate. As the Lord says in Deuteronomy 32:35, “Revenge is mine and only mine. I’ll give people what they’re due.”  Instead of pursuing revenge yourself, do the radical thing outlined in Proverbs 25:21-22, “If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Your generosity will eventually disturb him so much that he’ll either become a friend, or turn and run as a dog with his tail between his legs.” In other words, don’t allow evil to clobber you but use good to clobber evil.

This alternative approach works best if it becomes a pattern rather than a one shot response to a particular evil. In other words, in order to take on the big EVILS we have to train for it through ongoing small daily acts of non-retaliation -- in our words, our driving habits, our approach to shopping. Even eliminating our passive-agressiveness from our lives.

There are actually two parts to this approach --  which Jesus models for us his followers. First of all we refuse to respond to attacks with an attack. That is, we don’t get sucked into retaliation. Then to take it a step further, we actually overwhelm our enemies with kindness. And it’s this kindness that shows that our response is one of strength rather than weakness. 

We lived in Texas for six years so I have some first hand knowledge of Texas politics. Over the years Texas politicians have railed endlessly about their Mexican neighbors to the south. They demonize them and blame them for everything that ever goes wrong in Texas.

On August 25th of 2017 -- three years ago -- Hurricane Harvey hit Houston as a devastating Cat 4 storm. Well, within hours after Houston was clobbered there were grand caravans of relief supplies from Mexico enroute to the flooded areas of Houston. 

And to all those Houstonians the Mexican kindness was a game changer.

Is there someone who has been a burr under your saddle? How might you clobber their evil with good? Maybe through lots of small consistent acts. Think on that one awhile -- but not so long as to let the opportunity slip away.

And keep the key thought alive and running in the background of your life -- GENUINE CHRIST-ROOTED LOVE CHANGES EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT TREATS PEOPLE WAY BETTER THAN THEY DESERVE.

Yes, it’s about grace.

 Dave Ramsey is an international talk show host who specializes in financial planning and helping people get out of debt. He runs Financial Peace University. He’s fun to listen to and I love how Dave responds when people ask him how he is doing. He always says -- “better than I deserve…”

That is sound gospel. God treats us better than we deserve. The reason that we can treat others in this radically loving way is that even though we are undeserving, we have encountered the love of Christ ourselves. 

His love changes everything in us. And his grace is changing us. We can’t muster this kind of stuff on our own. This is all Christ’s doing as he has taken up residency in our midst -- in our lives. We just get to go along for the ride -- or not -- if we fail to embrace him, his way of doing things, and his agenda. 

And as you think about it you realize he has already started doing all of these things. When we trust him we simply join in with what he is doing. He is the one going full-throttle during difficult times. He is the one caring for the needy. He is the one who had an exceptionally realistic view of himself and yet still took the humble approach. He is the one who refuses to pay-back evil with evil.

In the book of Romans Paul is talking about the embedded presence of Christ in our lives -- that which comes about when we trust in him -- what he has done -- what he is doing -- what he is going to do -- his agenda.

The reason that we can treat people way better than they deserve is that Christ is treating us way better than we deserve.

And believe it or not, that is the good news!

Matthew 14:13-21

“Multiplication”

02 August 2020

Chapel at Covenant Living of Florida

We’re looking at Matthew 14:13-21 this morning. The incident here is the only miraculous sign reported in all four of the gospels. In all likelihood it involved over 10,000 people. So it was a major event. In addition it was a formative connect-the-dots incident as Jesus proclaimed the launch of his Kingdom. 

You see, by the time of Jesus there was a popular expectation that the Messiah would provide heavenly bread for the people to eat -- just as God had done with manna during Israel’s wanderings through the wilderness. That is, after they escaped Egyptian slavery and before they crossed over the Jordan River into the promised land God fed the people by night drops of a bread substance called Mana. Israel survived on Mana for 40 years.

In the gospel of John it is reported that following the bread distribution the people are so moved that they're fixin’ to make Jesus their king -- by force. John 6:14-15 -- "When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, 'Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!' When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself."

In other words, this incident was a really big deal in the eyes of the people. It shaped how they perceived Jesus and what he was about. And I’d challenge you to let it shape your own understanding of him and his agenda -- even for today.

Listen again, this time in the Authorized Boydston Paraphrase -- 

As soon as Jesus heard that his cousin and preaching colleague John the Baptist had been murdered by Herod, he took off in a boat toward a remote place in order to have some alone time. But somehow the crowds figured out where he was going and people from many towns hoofed it over to the spot. 14 So, when Jesus arrived he encountered a huge crowd. But instead of annoyance at their invasion of his privacy, as he stepped out of the boat, he felt great compassion for them and healed those who were sick.

15 That evening his apprentices came and said to him, “We’re really out in the sticks and it’s starting to get late. Perhaps you should dismiss the crowd so they have time to get to one of the villages. They need to buy some food to feed themselves before the markets close.”

16 Jesus replied, “That’s not necessary -- YOU feed them.”

17 “But,” they answered, “Master, all we have are five small loaves of bread and two fish! What good is that with such a large crowd?”

18 “Well, bring the food here,” he said. 19 Then Jesus instructed the people to take a seat on the grass. He held up the five loaves and two fish, turned his eyes up toward heaven, and blessed the food. Then, he broke the loaves into pieces, which he gave to the apprentices. They, in turn, distributed the food to the people. 20 Everyone ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the apprentices collected twelve baskets of leftovers. 21 It’s estimated that about 5,000 men had their fill that day. And nobody even tried counting all the women and children who were fed.

Great story -- which I never tire of hearing. Of course, it is merely a summary of what happened. There was a lot said in between the lines we have. And while we can’t be sure what was actually said, I suspect that it sounded something like this.

Master! What do you mean that you want us to feed all these people! If we do that we’ll be setting a bad precedent. The crowds have already gotten big and unruly. And we know that you’re not really a crowd person. But can you imagine what will happen tomorrow once these people all start to show up thinking that we’re going to give away free food everyday.

It will be Moses in the Desert -- all over again.

At that Jesus nodded his head in affirmation, saying, “Well, perhaps that’s what they need.”

Peter, who was speaking for the entire team of disciples interrupted -- as he was prone to do -- said.

“But, Jesus, nothing will get done in all Israel if the food is free. People need to work for what they get OR they won’t appreciate it AND they’ll start to think that God has an unlimited supply that he is eager to share with ordinary undeserving people.”

“Exactly!” exclaimed Jesus. 

“The kingdom of God is about the abundant generosity of my Father.  Why do you think that he can be limited or that he is some kind of a tightwad? 

The reason that you can and should feed all these people is that it would be a great illustration of the grace and abundance that characterizes my kingdom -- whether it is appreciated or not. 

Remember what I told you, ‘Don’t worry about what you’re going to eat… that God will provide. Seek first his kingdom and his ways and everything you need will be provided.” 

“Buttttt…” It was practical Andrew, who usually doesn’t say so much, interrupting this time. “Jesus, all we have are five small loaves and two fish. How do you expect us to feed all these people with such a small amount? There have got to be 5,000 men out there -- to say nothing of their women and children.”

"Jesus refused to get sucked deeper into their anxiety attack. 'Let me help you,' he said as he called for the food. Then Jesus instructed the people to take a seat on the grass. He held up the five loaves and two fish, turned his eyes up toward heaven, and blessed the food. Then, he broke the loaves into pieces, which he gave to the apprentices. They, in turn, distributed the food to the people."

That’s more or less how this thing went down.

And the key idea in this all is -- DON'T STRESS OVER GOD'S "TOO BIG" ASSIGNMENTS FOR THROUGH HIS BLESSING "SMALL" RESOURCES TENDVTO MULTIPLY. 

I’m actually seeing a bit of an overlap between the parable of the mustard seed in Matthew 13:31-32, which we read last Sunday --

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and planted in his field. It’s the smallest of all seeds. But when it’s grown, it’s the largest of all vegetable plants. It becomes a tree so that the birds in the sky come and nest in its branches.”

Something really small -- nearly invisible -- grows so large that it has a big impact. THAT’S HOW JESUS’ KINGDOM WORKS! Now we see that a small meal of five buns and two fish ends up feeding a huge crowd through divine multiplication.

Notice that the gospel writers don’t ever try to give us an explanation of how the multiplication took place. Did the loaves replicate? Did others who had food catch on and join in the generosity? Or some of both. We don’t know. That’s not the point. 

In all these stories Jesus wants us to see that he is in the business of taking something small and making it into something big. 

So… and here’s how I see this coming home to us -- three take-aways.

So, first of all DON’T STRESS OUT OVER LIMITED RESOURCES.

If I could say something to every modern Christian and church I’d say -- release the multiplying power that you have in the small things. Start with the five loaves and two fish that you have in hand. Step out in faith and see where things go.

You’ve heard the terms small-scale agriculture or small-scale businesses or small-scale electricity production -- small-scale manufacturing. Small-scale enterprises involve only a few people or things; covering or involving a small area. Well this is small-scale ministry.

I want to write a book on SMALL-SCALE MINISTRY to encourage people with limited resources to start things without a big budget or a big organizational structure.

For several years I ran an English conversation club -- a very small-scale ministry. Through some of my contacts I started gathering a few Chinese immigrants -- restaurant workers and their families and friends -- who wanted to improve their English. We met weekly at McDonald's or Taco Bell to practice reading and speaking -- we often ended up talking about spiritually important matters, too.

Just a handful of people involved -- some weeks only one or two and myself. Very little overhead. No budget whatsoever. You don't even need a sponsoring church or official organization to jump in and start serving a few pieces of fish and bread. It's not about trying to make the biggest splash you can, but meeting big needs -- in small ways -- in the name of Jesus.

The English conversation club never became famous -- never received national recognition. But that’s not why we do these things.

If we can start acting in faith on a small-scale -- planting mustard seeds, those small acts of faith can have an impact greater than their size or the energy they exert. 

Helping out at a local school. Wandering the CLOF halls everyday just so you can share an encouraging word or smile. 

I think frequently of Earle Dale who died about 15 months ago. He spent his last days scooting up and down the halls or sitting on the dog bench. Always had a loving smile and a kind word. That's what this small-scale ministry looks like -- Earle Dale.

Spending a little time each day to intentionally get to know each of your neighbors and to continue to check in with them -- even if you're not an extrovert. Small acts which God will multiply like 5 loaves and 2 fish -- eventually feeding thousands.

Now, of course, we tend to stress out when God calls us to distribute five loaves and two fish amongst thousands of hungry people.

But the stress is unnecessary (and counterproductive) because JESUS IS THE MULTIPLIER. That’s the second take-away. JESUS IS THE MULTIPLIER.

You don’t have to make things happen. You just need to go along for the ride. 

This is where the disciples got confused. When Jesus told them to feed the crowd -- they thought he wanted them to generate all the food. But he was really asking them to merely distribute that which he was blessing.

Vs 19 -- “Then Jesus instructed the people to take a seat on the grass. He held up the five loaves and two fish, turned his eyes up toward heaven, and blessed the food. Then, he broke the loaves into pieces, which he gave to the apprentices. They, in turn, distributed the food to the people.”

So then here is the third take-away -- THERE IS INFINITE ABUNDANCE IN GOD'S KINGDOM, WHICH WE TAP INTO WHEN WE FAITHFULLY FOLLOW HIS INSTRUCTIONS.

The disciples -- Jesus’ apprentices -- were reluctant to try and feed the masses because they were responsible people who didn’t want to start something they could obviously not finish. 

And that’s all fine. But when Jesus asked them to feed people -- he was looking at the bigger picture. He could see what they could not -- the abundant resources of the Kingdom of God. That’s why we take our instructions from him. That’s why sometimes the things he tells us to do seem unreasonable but we should do them anyway. And this can be a challenge. 

I have a psychologist friend, a fellow student at Fuller Seminary 38 years ago, who l ran into at a wedding and Paul was asking me about how my ministry was going. 

I'd left my career track in order to teach in Micronesia and then returned to the US to launch a church which centered around the needs of homeless men, immigrants, and at-risk kids. I told him tongue-in-cheek that I didn’t know if "I was reckless and irresponsible or a total genius" -- but that I was totally enjoying myself. 

He smiled with complete understanding.

As we talked I learned that he had given up a totally respectable and conventional counseling practice as a doctor of psychology in order to work on the streets as a probation officer. And God provided for him and his family in his "reckless and irresponsible" approach to caring for vulnerable people. 

And Paul's impact for God’s kingdom was probably greater through his work as a probation officer than it was when he was in a conventional counseling practice -- not that there is anything wrong with having a conventional psychology or counseling practice. He had just been led to serve outside the conventional established pattern.

And often the unconventional things that God calls us to do seem reckless and irresponsible because we don’t have the divine perspective -- a perspective of abundant provision. And there is simply no way to understand how five loaves and two fish can multiply to feed thousands until you start serving them. Sometimes you just have to step into the water to see what is going to happen. 

Is God calling you to feed a crowd? To step out and do something that seems impossible for senior citizens by conventional standards --  something reckless and irresponsible?

Don’t miss the point. The size of the crowd is actually pretty secondary. Sometimes it’s thousands of people. Sometimes it’s hundreds. At other times -- maybe most of the times -- it is but a single challenging person. And you don’t know how the small amount of fish and bread at hand will be enough for the assignment. 

But if you hand Jesus the bread and fish to bless you can expect him to multiply the resources.

During this time of pandemic we're all feeling a bit overwhelmed and the temptation is to circle the wagons and to think about all the things we can't do out there because we have to hunker down. Instead of responding to the situation with creativity and openness to the new things God might be doing, we perpetuate a kind of paralyzing stress.

Well, don’t stress over God’s “too big” assignments, for through his blessing the “small” resources tend to multiply.

And that, believe it or not, is the good news.

Luke 12:13-22

08 August 2019 
Covenant Living of Florida 
Care Center & Assisted Living Chapels

This morning we're looking at a Jesus story found in Luke 12:13-21. It’s commonly called the PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL. I want to read it to you from my paraphrase -- The Authorized Boydston Paraphrase.

Someone called out from the crowd which had formed around Jesus, saying to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to give me a share of the family inheritance.”

14 Jesus replied, “Friend, how is it that you want to suck me into your family squabble -- positioning me to be the arbitrator between you and your brother?”

15 Then Jesus said to them, “Watch out lest you give greed even a small foothold. After all, the significance of your life is not defined by what you own -- even if you own a lot!”

16 Jesus then told them a story to make his point: “There was once a rich and successful farmer whose land continually produced bumper crops. 17 The fruitfulness of the land created a problem that he noodled on day after day. ‘I have no place to store my harvest!’ 18 Finally, he came up with an idea, ‘If I tear down my barns I can build bigger ones. Then I’ll be able to store ALL my grain and goods. 19 With such capacity I’ll be solid for years to come -- take early retirement -- kick back -- eat, drink, and live the life.’

20 “But then God showed up with a different plan, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. Now who’s going to end up with all the stuff you’ve been saving for your future?’

21 “This is what happens to those who hoard riches to secure their own futures but who live impoverished lives in relation to God and the things which are important to him. will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God.”

A more traditional rendering of that last verse is:

This is the way it will be for those who hoard things for themselves and aren’t rich toward God. (CEB)

Now, some of you are wondering what this parable has to do with you. After all -- we don’t think of ourselves as rich. How many of you are rich?

And which of you are trying to build a bigger barn, anyway? Most of us are in downsize mode at this stage in our lives.

When Cheryl and I moved here from Arizona last fall the hardest part was sorting through and getting rid of a lot of our stuff.

We didn’t just get rid of junk but we had to give away a lot of stuff that was still good and useful. I have a big library that I use in my work but we don’t have room for a big library anymore.

So I’ve had to say goodbye to lots of books -- books which were my friends for years -- books with which I have been having friendly conversations. 

I bet you all know how that is.

So, how does this parable of the rich foolish farmer who is building a bigger barn apply to us -- to you? 

Well, even though we’re not in the barn building mode -- the question remains -- are we rich toward God? Or are we living lives that are impoverished in relation to God and the things which are important to him.

The thing is -- we can live lives that are rich toward God even when we don’t have a lot of stuff around us. That’s even the point of the parable. Sometimes all that stuff gets in the way of living lives that are rich toward God -- lives that are built around him and what is important to him. But when you have less stuff it might even be easier to be rich toward God. Could it be that you are  now better positioned for relating to God than you were 20 years ago?

Are you living a life that is rich toward God?

When you make room for others in your life -- you are living a life that is rich toward God.

When you carry on all those quiet conversations with God, you are living richly.

When you are merciful to those who don’t know what they’re doing, you are living the godly rich life. For that is the kind of life that God leads.

He had the big barn -- all of creation was at his disposal -- it all belonged -- belongs to him. Yet he set it aside in order to enter into our world -- to be born into a barn.

God could have built an even bigger barn for himself -- yet, he turned his energy toward reaching out to us -- the broken people of the world.

His Son Jesus was born into a human family. He grew up to show the world through his actions and teaching how God thinks -- and what he is going to do. He invited everyone to partner with him in what he’s doing.

Yet, in spite of all the good news he was rejected and murdered -- in a sense carrying the sin of the world on his shoulders.

But death couldn’t contain him. He broke loose and established the new life and when we join him we become participants in that new life. And as we mature we realize that life isn’t about building bigger barns but about living a life that is in this way richer toward God.

Maybe you’re already living that life. And that’s good. But maybe you’re realizing that you need to step out in faith and start that life.

We step out by telling God that we really do appreciate what he has done for us and that we want to stop pursuing things that are contrary to him -- and that we want to follow Jesus into the richest life that anyone could ever have -- a life:
→ Richer than that of Bill Gates 
→ Richer than Warren Buffet 
→ Richer than all the riches in the whole world. 

Rich because you know God; you trust his Son Christ Jesus; and you are relating to him as a friend.

You see, it’s all about relationship. Friends and families are more important than barns.

A big barn -- as cool as that seems to be -- pales next to the richness of a relationship with God -- living for and with him.

And believe it or not, that is the good news.

Let’s pray:

Thank you, God for sending Jesus into the world to deal with the sin and brokenness -- for rising from the dead. I want to be with him and to be a part of what he is doing in the world. I want to be a partner with you. Please give me the faith to live a rich and generous life in this place.

I know that there are lots of problems out there and beyond. Please pour out your mercy on those who have been harmed by the gun violence and racism that has been in the news. Please pour out your mercy on my neighbors here who are struggling with their health.

Help me to be gracious toward all those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Luke 9:5l-62

"Resolute"
Covenant Living of Florida -- Chapel
30 June 2019

As much as I love doing a paraphrase of the scriptures sometimes a really literal rendering grabs the imagination. Luke 9:51 in the NRSV:

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

That is, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. There was no way to change his mind -- no way to change his course -- no way to distract him from his goal.
Luke 9:51 is the hinge verse for the entire gospel of Luke -- the fork in the road -- the point of no turning back.

Chapters 1-9:50 contains an introduction to who Jesus is and what he’s up to. But suddenly in vs 51 the whole thing starts to get intense and he sets his sights on Jerusalem where he’ll do battle with death and the sin of the world.

Okay, so here is my paraphrase of Luke 9:51-62.

51 Now as it was getting closer for Jesus to be drawn up into the heaven-determined events of the cross and resurrection, he resolutely set his course for Jerusalem.

52 Jesus sent a vanguard of messengers to make arrangements for his stops along the way. They entered a certain Samaritan village 53 but the residents there were inhospitable toward the advance men because Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

This was a precursor of the rejection that would follow once he arrived there.

54 When the apprentices James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Boss, do you want us to summon fire from heaven to wipe them out -- like when Elijah called down fire in 2 Kings 1 to kill those soldiers who were disrespecting him?” 55 But Jesus rebuked the apprentices for their response to the insult.

56 So they just went on their way toward another village.

57 As Jesus and his apprentices walked along the road, someone volunteered to join him and his entourage, saying, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “If you’re going to follow me you need to understand that foxes have their dens and birds have their nests but Uberman is homeless.”

59 Then Jesus invited someone else to join him -- “Follow me.”

That man replied, “Boss, I need to wait a bit so that I can go fulfill my obligation and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let those who are dead take care of the dead. Your priority, however, is to go spread the news of God’s kingdom.”

61 Another person said to Jesus, “Boss, I’m ready to follow you, but first I need to go get my house in order.”

62 Jesus replied, “Don’t get distracted! Anyone who starts plowing but looks away -- even for a moment -- creates a crooked row. If you turn away you’re not helping God’s kingdom.”

This passage is an invitation into unwavering kingdom living.

Jesus often talks about God’s kingdom in the first three gospel accounts. In Matthew he most often calls it the "kingdom of heaven." In Mark and Luke -- God’s kingdom. Slightly different ways of saying the same thing.

The kingdom is the way of life that is defined by God’s agenda.

Some people get confused and think of the kingdom of God as something that happens at the end of time or what happens when we go to heaven. I mean, YES, the kingdom shows up in all those settings.

But it is way bigger than that. It is the way of life that is defined by Jesus’ agenda starting here and now. Where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven.

That’s where Jesus is leading people and following him is a matter of resolutely walking with him to live out God’s kingdom agenda.

That’s the key idea this morning for those who are jotting things down on the sermon guide. Following Jesus is a matter of resolutely walking with him to live out God’s kingdom agenda.

And in our passage we see Jesus outline some critical dimensions of what this means -- what kingdom living is all about. I’ve summarized what he says and what I think he is saying to us with six more or less brief observations:

#1. Kingdom living is easily misunderstood and easily blown off.

We live in an era where even Christians have embraced secular symbols of success. People will tell me that they were members of some huge church with a big name pastor and a mega staff and a mega budget. And they wait to see how impressed I’ll be. Lots and lots of people see them as successful so that must be God’s stamp of approval.

But notice what happens when Jesus starts to unfold his kingdom map as they are marching toward Jerusalem.

They’re trekking through Samaritan territory -- an area of outcasts -- an area which you would think would be welcoming toward an activist who was on his way to challenge the Jewish establishment.

For them, that would have been a positive. But they had their own ideas about how this revolution should happen. And it involved rendering Jerusalem powerless by hyping their own system.

So when Jesus marches on Jerusalem they didn’t understand what he was up to. And they blew him off -- failed to offer hospitality.

So, vs 52 --

Jesus sent a vanguard of messengers to make arrangements for his stops along the way. They entered a certain Samaritan village 53 but the residents there were inhospitable toward the advance men because Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.

The point is if you’re following Jesus as he implements his kingdom agenda -- don’t be surprised or thrown by the rejection.

Just as bigger doesn’t prove anything in the kingdom of God, neither does rejection diminish what is happening. So, don’t get discouraged by it all.

#2. -- Kingdom living involves non-retaliatory grace.

The conversation in vss 54-56 is referencing what happened when the Old Testament prophet Elijah called down fire on the people who disrespected him, the disciples are eager to do the same to the Samaritan village which disrespected Jesus by declining hospitality.

People always seem to be able to find some kind of religious justification for exercising judgment on others. But Jesus and the kingdom of God agenda he is advocating doesn’t buy into that approach. He graciously lets them off the hook and moves on -- just as he had instructed the disciples to do at the beginning of chapter 9.

Vs 54 --

When the apprentices James and John saw this, they said to Jesus, “Boss, do you want us to summon fire from heaven to wipe them out -- like when Elijah called down fire in 2 Kings 1 to kill those soldiers who were disrespecting him?”

But Jesus corks that talk because he is inaugurating a kingdom where you don’t fry your enemies but where you love them -- where you extend grace and mercy to the people who oppose you.
It’s not about becoming powerful enough to put the bad guys in their place. That’s not the nature of Jesus’ kingdom -- his agenda for recreating the world.

Vs. 55 -- "But Jesus rebuked the apprentices for their response to the insult."

3. -- Kingdom living can be rough and messy.

Look more closely at vss 57-58 --

As Jesus and his apprentices walked along the road, someone volunteered to join him and his entourage, saying, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “If you’re going to follow me you need to understand that foxes have their dens and birds have their nests but Uberman (his own self description -- "son of man" or "Superman" -- "the ultimate human") is homeless.”

How is it that the Uberman -- the greatest human who is rewriting what it means to be human -- would be a nomad?

He’s not in the least bit interested in living in the White House -- or Buckingham Palace.

And if you’re going to follow him as he implements his kingdom agenda -- you need to be willing to embrace the rough and the mess. For lots of the people he brings into your life will be rough and messy.

Quit looking to Jesus to improve your social standing or your way of life. Quit pursuing power -- even power to carry out good.

The kingdom of God isn’t about power or respectability or comfort or success. It’s about extending graciousness in rough and messy situations.

Of course, many of us are saying. “I can’t really do that. That’s not me. I need order and less mess.”

But the point is that it could become you because you are walking with Jesus and he is in the process of living out his kingdom agenda -- to which he we are drawn in -- because we are following him. It’s not something we do for Jesus but something he does through us because we’re on the road together.

Recognize that kingdom living is rough and messy and then stop worrying about your ability to live that way. He’ll teach you while you’re on the go.

#4. -- Kingdom living needs to be the first priority.

Now in vss 59-60, Jesus makes some pretty extreme statements given the way that first-century Jewish society worked -- where your highest obligation as a son was to care for your parents -- through their old age -- and to the point where you buried them. You could get out of a lot of the obligations but the shame of abandoning the family -- the parents -- was unbelievable.

So I could tell you that Jesus’ statements were hyperbolic overstatements to make a point. But most people would interpret that as getting them off the hook -- when in fact Jesus is trying to make all potential disciples squirm. He’s trying to shake people up so that they begin to grasp the significance of what he is up to and who he is.

So, vss 59-60

Then Jesus invited someone else to join him -- “Follow me.” That man replied, “Boss, I need to wait a bit so that I can go fulfill my obligation and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let those who are dead take care of the dead. Your priority, however, is to go spread the news of God’s kingdom.”

Following Jesus can’t just be another add-on obligation to your life. Being a disciple is a new identity that stands alone above all others -- family, nation, clan, race… And so it has to be the top priority -- the defining priority.

If you had to come up with a simple answer, what would you say is your top priority in life?

#5. -- Kingdom living involves “spreading” the news. 
There are references to this in vss 1-2, 6, 11, and again in vs 60. You might identify this as a recurring theme.

Here is vs 60 again, “Your priority, however, is to go spread the news of God’s kingdom.”

This is the good news -- the gospel is the rollout of God’s kingdom. And that news should be spread like crazy. And it is spread in two ways:

By word of mouth -- that is a verbal witness -- telling the story of how you are seeing God’s kingdom happening.

Then secondly, it is spread through actions. It’s not an either/or but a both/and.

Jesus did both.
He healed people and he announced the kingdom.

He hung out with the marginalized people -- the sinners -- and he announced the kingdom.

He turned the other cheek and he announced the kingdom.

Sometimes we’ve reduced the spreading of the news to mere words. But when we do that we’re missing out on how the kingdom of God rolls.

I love the quote which was attributed to St Francis but which he probably never said -- "Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words."

However, St Francis of Assisi, the 13th-century friar did say -- “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”

Walking and talking go together. Spread the news by walking and talking.

When you walk into a room picture yourself as a royal ambassador for God’s kingdom.

→ How does that role define what you do?

→ What you’ll say to the people?

→ How will you say it?

→ As an ambassador of Jesus’ upside down kingdom where the least of people are the most important, who will you spend your time with?

→ What will you do with your money?

The list goes on.

Your assignment in life is to spread the news of God’s kingdom -- and to do it with focus.

That’s #6. -- Kingdom living needs to be focused.

vss 61-62 --

Another person said to Jesus, “Boss, I’m ready to follow you, but first I need to go get my house in order.”

62 Jesus replied, “Don’t get distracted! Anyone who starts plowing but looks away -- even for a moment -- creates a crooked row. If you turn away you’re not helping God’s kingdom.”

On Wednesday morning, a little before sunrise, I was riding my bike from home toward the Plantation Central Park, Cheryl was walking a half block behind me.

And when I came to the intersection of Central Park Dr and Cleary there was a black Camero turning from Cleary south onto Central Park Drive. But he got distracted while making the turn. I don’t know if he was texting, or if he spilled his coffee, or if his Sausage and Egg McMuffin slipped from his hand. But whatever the distraction was it was enough to change the course in his turn and he ended up with two wheels on the center divider.

And since he was going way too fast, to begin with, he couldn’t just turn back onto the road. He had to drive nearly a half block with two wheels up on the center divider before he could correct his maneuver.

Lucky for him that he didn’t flip the car or get the attention of the cop who drove down the road a few minutes later.

If you’re going to start along the way with Jesus and his kingdom don’t get distracted by multi-tasking. I mean, distraction is an ongoing hazard when it comes to the kingdom.

By definition, kingdom living involves moving through rough and messy terrain. It's even tempting to put things off until road conditions are better.

Think of all the young couples you know who are holding off on getting married until they can afford the big wedding or they find the ideal house or have a successful career or whatever… and time goes by… the relationship goes through lots of unnecessary strain because they are distracted by things which are only peripheral to the relationship.

Stay focused on what is important. Don’t get distracted and lose your focus. Following Jesus is a matter of resolutely walking with him to live out God’s kingdom agenda.

Let me draw your attention back to vs 51. "When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem."

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem so that he can take on the sin of the world and conquer death on our behalf. We have life and purpose because he set his face toward Jerusalem -- because he was resolutely walking to Jerusalem to live out God’s kingdom agenda -- an agenda which he is calling us to embrace as our own.

Will you embrace that kingdom agenda as your life agenda? What a great opportunity!

And believe it or not, that is the good news.

Colossians 3:17

The Wedding of Kent Boydston & Samantha Morrow, Dublin, California, 04 August 2018

You’ve heard the expression, “Not all who wander are lost.” In light of the travel theme in this wedding I thought it would be appropriate to unpack that saying a bit. The reality is that many wander about because they are lost. But others wander because they want to experience new things. They are driven to get out there and see the world.

Now, that was not as big of a deal when I was growing up. The generations behind us have figured out that there is real value in seeing and experiencing more of the world. And that’s great.

But I want to suggest that there is a third reason why some wander.
The first is because they are LOST.
The second is because they want to EXPERIENCE the wonders of this great world.
And the third is because -- they're on a MISSION.

Christians are especially tuned into this dimension. Jesus sent his followers out to spread his good news.

We read in John 20:21 that after Jesus was raised from the dead he appeared to his disciples and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”

But we're not just talking about some class of spiritually elite individuals. We're all called to represent Christ, his message, his love…

And I'd suggest that it's not just individuals but also couples.

In the NT book of Colossians, the apostle Paul spells out some instructions on healthy marriage in Colossians 3:18-19 -- which I am not going to read. You can check that out on your own. But I would like to focus on the preamble to those comments in Colossians 3:17 --

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Or I might paraphrase it for this context --

Whatever it is that you do or say -- wherever you travel -- whoever it is that pays your salary -- your underlying mission is to represent the Lord Jesus -- and do remember to thank God with each step you take along the way.

Yes, a wedding ceremony is a celebration of your love and commitment to each other. But it is also a commissioning service to send you out together as a new team on a journey to represent Christ Jesus -- his good news -- his kingdom agenda -- and his way of life.

When we lived in Turlock we had a man in our church whom I'd have do premarital counseling for me. He was much better at that kind of thing than I am. And he'd meet with the couples before I'd officiate at the ceremony.

Kent, you remember Lloyd Ahlem. Lloyd was a retired psychologist and college president. And one thing he'd always ask couples to do is to write out their corporate mission statement. Lloyd was a genius and that one assignment quickly got couples talking about the point of marriage.

What is your mission statement? What is your corporate purpose? Why are you going on this journey? Why are you wandering?

Is it because you're lost and you need a spouse to help you find your way? Is it because you're looking forward to experiencing the world with a kindred spirit? (And Kent and Sam seem to be very kindred spirits. I think it was Stephen Kim who first figured that out and hooked them up. Thank you!) Maybe it's a combination of both those reasons.

And really when you think about it, wandering because you're lost or wandering because you desire to experience things together aren't such bad reasons. But remember your prime directive as individuals and a married couple -- to represent Christ as you wander on your journey. If you make that the first priority the other aspects of the marriage journey will fall into place.

And believe it or not, that is the good news.