April 2nd 2023 Meditation "From the Palms to the Cross"

Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, April 2nd 2023

FROM THE PALMS TO THE GARDEN

We have started our service today by celebrating the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem.  The sad thing is that it didn't take long for those shouts of welcome to change into shouts of accusation. The first thing that Jesus did when He got into town was go to the temple. He was horrified by what He saw there.

There were money-changers and tax collectors cheating the people.  The whole thing seemed to have been corrupted by those who used religion for their own ends.  Jesus got mad.  This wasn't how it was meant to be.  The temple was supposed to be a light for all nations, a place where all the world could discover the awesome love of God, a place of prayer. "You have turned it into a den of thieves". He storms in and turns over the tables and lets loose the sacrificial animals - and those in charge know that He is right and no-one lifts a finger to stop Him.

Now He really has peoples attention. Over the next days through parables and confrontations with the religious leaders He teaches of the danger of false religion, and of how the leaders of the day had got it terribly wrong. He prophesied how a time was coming when He would be shown for who He really was and they would be left looking foolish.

He accuses them of hypocrisy, a Greek word that comes from the world of the theater and described the way actors would wear masks as they played their parts - pretending to be something that they were not.

Matthew 23:1-10
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things, and do not do them."And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger."But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries, and lengthen the tassels of their garments."And they love the place of honor at banquets, and the chief seats in the synagogues,and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called by men, Rabbi."But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers."And do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven."And do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.

Jesus makes it ever clearer to the disciples that He is the Christ, He is the One God had sent to be the Savior.  He teaches them about how in serving others they would be doing His will, how at the end of time God would judge the peoples, how many would not want to listen, but still they must work for the Kingdom. Meanwhile, serious trouble was brewing.

Reader :- Matthew 26:1-5
And it came about that when Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples,  "You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be delivered up for crucifixion."Then the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas;and they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth, and kill Him.  But they were saying, "Not during the festival, lest a riot occur among the people."

At the home of Simon a woman comes and anoints Jesus with oil. Jesus describes her act as preparing his body for burial.  He shares a Passover meal with His disciples and tells them that the bread that was broken represented His body which would be broken and that the wine was his blood which was to be poured out for the forgiveness of sins, a sign of the new covenant.

For one of the disciples, this is too much.  Maybe he was scared of Jesus getting hurt and wanted to stop Him.  Maybe Jesus wasn't turning out to be the sort of Messiah he had hoped for.  We don't know what it was that motivated Judas, but we know what happened.

Reader: Matthew 26:14-16
Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests, and said, "What are you willing to give me to deliver Him up to you?" And they weighed out to him thirty pieces of silver. And from then on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray Him.

After the Passover meal, during which Jesus predicts that all of His disciples would fall away (even those who thought they would never do such a thing) Jesus heads for the Garden of Gethsemane.

In this garden comes the turning point.  We celebrate at Easter time the victory of Christ. But where was that victory won?  I believe it was in the Garden.  Had Jesus not at that critical moment said, "Not my will, but thine be done", there would have been no cross and no Easter Resurrection, no forgiveness for us, nor new life in the Spirit.

Where will we find the victory over the things that trouble us and drag us down?  Where will we find the strength to go on when we feel all is dark?  I suggest it is in our prayers, in our turning our will over to God's will.  

Matthew 26:36-45
“Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt."And He came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour?"Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done."And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.Then He came to the disciples, and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

William Bradbury's hymn  takes us to the Garden with Jesus. (Can be sung to the tune of the Doxology)

"Tis Midnight and on Olives Brow, The star is dimmed that lately shone,
Tis midnight in the garden now, The suffering Savior prays  alone.

Tis midnight and from all removed, The Savior wrestles lone with fears,
E'en that disciple whom he loved, heeds not His masters grief and tears.

Tis midnight and for others guilt, The man of sorrows weeps in blood,
Yet He that hath in anguish knelt, Is not forsaken by His God.

Tis midnight and from heavenly planes, is borne the song that angels know,
Unheard by mortals are the strains, that sweetly soothe the Saviors voice."

"FROM THE GARDEN TO THE CROSS"

In the garden Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss and He is led away to be tried.  For what crimes?  Love. Speaking out against what was wrong. Setting free the oppressed. Giving dignity to those others had no time for. Daring to be who He was. Healing. Caring. Of course they are not the accusations. Blasphemy.  Lies are uttered. False testimony created by false witnesses. Before Ciaphas and before Pilate the lies continue.  Jesus confounds them with His silence, the only words He speaks cut his accusers even deeper as they reveal their hateful hearts.

Peter in fear betrays Jesus by denying that he had ever known Him. Judas tries vainly to turn back what he has done. The courts turn Jesus over to the soldiers. The law enforcement officers  beat Him and spit on Him and mock Him. They press a crown of thorns into His head, for the rumor is going around that He claims to be King of the Jews.

In an attempt to wash his hands of the whole thing and prevent a riot Pilate suggests a prisoner should be freed, as was customary at Feast time.  "Who do you want, Jesus the Christ or Barabbas?"  The crowds shout for Barabbas. "And what of Jesus?" Now hear the voices that shouted hosanna change their tune. "Crucify Him, Crucify Him, Crucify Him".

Battered, bruised, beaten Jesus is forced to drag His Cross through the jeering crowds. The Carpenter who had made things of beauty now facing being nailed to this ugly construction of clumsily thrown together beams. He stumbles, His strength gone and a man called Simon is pressed into carrying the cross.

Matthew 27: 33-37
And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull,  they gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall; and after tasting  it, He was unwilling to drink.  And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves, casting lots; and sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there.  And they put up above His head the charge against Him which read, " THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. "

Two thieves are also being crucified.  One mocks Him. The other finds life in the midst of death.  Some respectable folk hurl insults. Others, women who had stayed with Him, have no words, only tears.

Matthew 27: 45-54.
 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?" And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, "This man is calling for Elijah." And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.   But the rest of them said, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him."

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.  And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

A centurion comes to a statement of faith.  Yet the story was far from over. Others like you and I would believe.  Not simply because of the cross but because of what came after. On Easter Sunday we will not mourn, we will celebrate! On Easter Sunday we will declare that where we have left off today, is not the end, but only the beginning.

Through the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Day, from the palms to the Garden, from the Garden to the Cross, from the Cross to the Resurrection, God was working in an unprecedented way to bring salvation to the world.  A later disciple, Paul, speaks of the incomparable Jesus Christ in this way;

Colossians 1:19-22
 For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fulness to dwell in Him,and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach!

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Lent 5 "Life Stinks”

Readings: Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, Ezekiel 37:1-10, John 11:1-45
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, March 26 2023

Sometimes life stinks. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try it just doesn’t work out. It’s not fair. It’s not right.  And if life stinks then death stinks even more.  Your born, you get by, then you die. For some that’s about it.  That is what they base their days upon.  

As we go through life, we become disenchanted, disentangled, displaced. Things come along that we hadn’t anticipated, hadn’t thought would happen to us. They leave us hurt and confused.

Maybe you are familiar with the movie ‘The Wizard of Oz’. My favorite line comes just after the scarecrow is attacked by the evil flying monkeys. The brainless scarecrow is ripped to shreds and bits of him scattered around a clearing in the forest. “Well,” he says, “That’s me all over”.  We can feel like that. Things come along that knock the stuffing out of us and we are at the mercy of others to try and help us get it all back together again.

We had two bible stories this morning about displacement and scattering.  Ezekiel compares the Israelite people in exile as being a valley full of scattered lifeless bones.  Mary and Martha try and deal with the death of Lazarus and are confused as to why Jesus wasn’t there when they really needed him. “He could have done something; where was He when we needed Him?”

In both stories something amazing happens.  It happens in response to one thing. The Word of the Lord. The Word of the Lord is spoken and everything changes.  Where there once was hopelessness and despair there comes joy and vision. To where there was scattering and displacement there comes focus and energy.

It’s a story as old as Creation. Recall the very first words of Genesis. There is chaos. Then the Word of the Lord. Creation starts to happen.  Darkness is turned to light.  Nothingness is turned into life. God looks and God says it is good.

Follow the story of the Israelite nation throughout the Old Testament.  Called into being by the Word of the Lord.  New Creation, but then losing their way, no longing hearing, recognizing, or acting upon the Word of the Lord. Only when they have ears to hear and eyes to see do they become once more a pilgrim people of hope.

Into this crazy scattered world comes Jesus Christ.  Born into the midst of all its confusion.  He is the New Word that God speaks.  The New Covenant, the New Testament Word. Those who hear recognize His authority.  Those who are touched and healed and delivered by His life know their life will never be the same again.  

Then there is that dark moment when people such as you and I crucify the Lord of love. We twist His words, turn to the darkness instead of the light.  We don’t hear the word of the Lord.  We shout it down.  We like the sound of our own voice better than His.

We can be fools. God has the last Word. The Word of Resurrection.  The Word that calls death a loser. The word that reverses evil’s power.  The Word that makes a laughingstock of those who think they are powerful or important over and above others.  The Word that changes barren places into flower gardens of hope and deserts into rich gardens. The Word that changes the Cross from an emblem of shame to a symbol of victory.

God calls us as individuals to be remade by Holy Spirit love.  We all have problems. We all have gifts.  We are all alike sinners. We are all alike made in God’s image and capable of great things. We need to hear the word of the Lord that tells us to personally get our act together with God, to know ourselves God's people, saved by Grace through faith, aware of who we are and whose we are. It’s the first great commandment, that you and I , for ourselves, love the Lord our God heart-fully, mindfully, and soulfully.

The second great commandment is that we love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves.  It’s not just about us finding ourselves and being spiritually fulfilled, it’s about being built into a community that looks beyond the four walls of its own church to the people outside.

It's about being built, by the power of God’s Spirit, into an army of ordinary people for the cause of Jesus Christ. It's about fighting, not with weapons of material warfare, but empowered through prayer and spiritual gifting and knowledge of God’s will and God’s Word.

We are put together as individuals and brought together as a people of God.  We are not called to be a pile of old stinking bones, but a fresh and living witness to the love and grace of God in our midst.  Hear the promise of God to those who hear this word. “I will put my Spirit within you, and you will come to life... you will know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”

When we hear the word of the Lord of life, life no longer stinks.  Life takes on a different fragrance.  Paul, in Ephesians, tells us, “Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

Staying on an aromatic theme, consider these words from our second reading, at the raising of Lazarus. We heard how Jesus arrived sometime after Lazarus had died and how Mary and Martha weren’t exactly sympathetic to the fact that He hadn’t been there when Lazarus died, because now it was too late.

When Jesus asks to unseal the tomb, is Martha expecting a miracle? Is she thinking, “O.K. Jesus is here now, things are going to be fine?” No way. (Verse 39). “Jesus said, “Remove the stone”. Martha said, “Lord by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days”

They were about to witness a miracle.  Don’t ask me to explain miracles. They are so out of the ordinary they defy our understanding. They are not meant to be commonplace easily understood events. They are called miracles because they are miracles.

The Word of the Lord is spoken.  Jesus offers a prayer of thanks then shouts into the tomb, “Lazarus’ Come out”. Out he comes. “Get him out of those grave clothes” suggests Jesus, “He’s still got some living to do.”

I wish every time we had a bereavement I could walk along and tell the deceased to wake up and get on with living this life. But that’s not the way things are. The resurrection of Lazarus was a special event that took place prefiguring Christ’s own death and resurrection.  Eventually Lazarus had to go back to tomb - just wasn’t his time right then. God had a higher purpose in mind.

Whilst there are a whole lot of layers of meaning to this passage, for me today this passage is reminding me that every day we get to wake up in the morning is a gift from God.  There’s an Andrea Crouch gospel song (called “This is another Day”) that has a line it in it where he says, “He didn’t have to wake me up this morning, but the Lord so did”.

Every day that we are given we have a choice as to what we are going to make of that day.  We can get up and say, “Life Stinks”. We can walk around, as it were in our grave clothes, feeling that there is really no point and no reason and why bother.

Or we can “Hear the Word of the Lord.” We can thank God that there is still life in our bones, whether they be older bones or newer bones.  We can walk with Christ. We can welcome His Word into the different situations we encounter during the day.

We can see our lives in the larger picture. Not in the picture that is framed by being born, getting by, and living only to die, but the framework that Jesus gives us of life lived from before the womb to beyond the tomb.  We can hold before us that Jesus tells us that our lives matter to God, that they have meaning and purpose and are not just an aimless mistake, that there is a God who wants to love us and loves to be loved by us.

We can hold before us the resurrection picture, that we are living to live! We don’t have to be displaced people in exile from God’s love. Jesus has made the way for us to know God’s love in an intimate and personal way.  We don’t have to walk around with the shadow of death stalking us like some grim Reaper. Jesus died that we may have life, abundant life, resurrection life. He says to us, as He said to Lazarus, “Come out of that tomb.”

Hear the Word of the Lord. Come out of the tombs of hopelessness, the tombs of pointlessness, the tombs of anxiety and worry, the tombs of addictions and life crushing habits. Get out of there. It stinks. Walk free and forgiven.

Whilst Lent is meant to be a time for reflection, the Sundays in Lent are set aside for proclaiming Resurrection.  Passages like we have heard today, dry bones coming to life, Lazarus coming out of the tomb, lead us towards Easter when we celebrate that Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed!

First comes Palm Sunday. And then the events of Holy Week, the crucifixion and the cross. For sure death casts it shadows heavily upon this season. There are moments of deep darkness.  But at the end of the Easter road is a brilliant resurrection light whose brightness transforms everything that lies before it and that comes after it.  

Ezekiel's vision of dry bones and Lazarus’s tomb are just the appetizer.
The main course lies just ahead.

Thanks be to God!  Amen!
                                                                      
The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Lent 3 "My Reality Check Just Bounced!”

Readings: Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, Exodus 17:1-7, John 4:5-26
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, March 12, 2023

Certain passages of Scripture invite us to take a look at our lives and question our motives, our prejudices, our actions, our decisions and a whole lot more.  Such passages may make us feel like the comedian who said; “I just took a reality check. It bounced.”

Last week we were bounced by Nicodemus and were told to be born again and give our hearts to Jesus. This week we have been taken into the desert by Moses and revealed to be people of little faith who grumble and complain against God at the slightest change in our fortunes. Now Jesus takes us to encounter a person convention said He should have nothing to do with.  

Please don’t underestimate how scandalous this passage must have appeared to its first century readers. Rabbinical teachers like Jesus were not meant to hang around wells with unaccompanied women, let alone beg drinks from them and engage in conversation.

Samaritans and Jews were separated by intense prejudices of both culture and religion.  They hated each other.  They spoke of each other as feared and despised enemies with whom the least contact would result in them being contaminated and having to seek some form of ritual cleansing.  

In Luke's gospel we are given a parable about a ‘Good Samaritan’, a phrase which to Jewish ears must have sounded like an oxymoron.  Johns’ gospel takes this scandalous encounter even further by opening up the Good News not just to one solitary Samaritan woman but to the whole Samaritan community.

Underlying this situation is a statement about the difference between false religion and true religion.  Samaritans and Jews were divided about both the right way and the right geographical place to worship God.  They had both received a great heritage, they could both lay claim to the intervention of God in their past and they were both a people who could point to evidence of God’s blessing.

Jesus cuts through all of that with a simple statement. 'True worshipers worship God in spirit and truth'.  Religion was a matter of the heart, not outward convention.  It was a real connection with God that truly affected the way decisions are made and life is lived. It is a matter, as he told Nicodemus, of re-birthing your life in the values and priorities of the Kingdom.

Real worship takes place when we bring our true selves to God.  That was a discovery that the Samaritan woman made in her encounter with Jesus at the well.  There were things about her life that she tried to hide.  She tells Jesus that she hasn’t got a husband.  That wasn’t the whole truth.  The reality was that she had had five husbands and the man she was living with wasn’t her husband.

Of greater consequence is simply that, as a woman, in her culture at that time, she was a person with little significance. A woman's worth was measured by her relationship to a man. A woman with no husband or male to relate to couldn’t survive. That’s why in the New Testament letters there are many injunctions for the early church to care for the single women and the widows... to grant to them an independent status and value that the world denied.

Which is exactly what Jesus does for this woman by the well.  Her value in God’s eyes is not her relationship to any male, not her gender, nor her ethnic identity, but her ability to be a worshiper in spirit and truth.  If you read further in the chapter, you see the disciples returning from their downtown shopping trip and  being totally astonished that Jesus was granting such rights to a woman.

The intent of this passage goes deeper than just gender prejudice, it is a no holds barred attack on all forms of prejudice, a caution to never prejudge any person or situation on the grounds of rumor or reputation.

Sadly, it’s something we all do.  Like the people Moses led through the desert, we thank God when all is rosy but complain when our immediate needs aren’t met.  Our physical thirst is often a stronger driving force than our spiritual one.  Too often judgments are made based on outward appearance.  

I remember being in school and hating a guy I will call Richard Perry.  Richard Perry was born with more muscles than I could ever develop.  Richard Perry’s hair was a different color to mine and was always immaculately dressed. Even though we had school uniforms, his made him look good, mine just made me look awkward.  Richard Perry was good at sports, good at math, good at science, good at everything.  He never studied for a test but always passed.  

Girls loved Richard Perry.  He was a babe magnet. Some guys loved Richard Perry. Teachers loved Richard Perry. Parents loved Richard Perry. In fact, everybody loved Richard Perry. Everybody except me. Because I knew I could never be Richard Perry!

How stupid we can be to measure ourselves by other people. The beautiful thing about each of us is that we are all different.  We all have unique gifts and talents that we should treasure rather than envying others.  For some people, if only they could let go of their desire to be somebody that they’re not and start making the most of who they are, then their lives would be so much happier.

Jesus treats the Samaritan woman as a full human being.  He doesn’t talk down to her.  He doesn’t treat her as any less of a full person because her circumstances weren’t ideal.  He doesn’t treat her differently because she was of a different religion and a different race.  

He treats her as a unique and worthy recipient of the grace of God, as He does each of us.  If we can but recognize ourselves accepted and loved by God how much freer we are to be individuals that don’t have to live up to anybody’s expectations except that of being the person God wants us to be.

The dilemma isn’t just self-acceptance. We’ve already seen the hatred that existed between Jews and Samaritans.  The problem is the human preoccupation with creating fences and protecting boundaries, our limitless capacity to divide people into 'In-Crowds' and 'Out-Crowds' ; 'The Chosen people' and the 'Rejected people'.

The New International Bible Commentary points out:- “Throughout human history, people and nations have defined themselves over against other groups. The history of race relations in the United States, the notion of racial purity that was at the ideological heart of Hitler’s Germany, the ethnic wars that wax and wane across the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Europe all have their roots in the same fears that divided Jews from Samaritans: the fear of contamination, the fear of sharing one’s gift and privileged call with others.”  

This passage calls us to turn the heat on our own heart, to dig deep and root out any prejudices that may be there.  If we have a prejudice, then let it be a passionate prejudice AGAINST all forms of prejudice. If we find ourselves being judgmental then pass judgment AGAINST being judgmental. If we have a bias, then let it be a bias AGAINST showing a bias. If we have a preference, then let it be a preference AGAINST showing a preference.

This is not rocket science. Treat others as we would like them to treat us.  Accept others as we would like to be accepted by them.  Take down fences, not build stronger ones.  Welcome strangers, for as Scripture says, by doing so some have entertained angels.

Jesus meets a supposed enemy and accepts her. We are called to respect all people, not because they share our values, or our ethnic group, or speak our language, or belong to the same social class, not because they are ‘our sort of people’ or ‘people with the right connections’.... we are called to respect all peoples because every person is a women, man, or child that Jesus Christ hung on a cross and died for as He prayed “Forgive them Father for they don’t know what they are doing”.

In the heat of the afternoon sun, Jesus meets a person whom the society of the day regarded as unimportant and insignificant. He engages her in conversation, He refuses to judge her, He welcomes her presence, He lets her know how deeply loved she was by God. He grants to her life a significance her world denied. This passage functions on so many different levels.

•    It invites us to know ourselves loved of God and so love others. That lady was down by the well, not by choice, but by necessity. In the light of the turbulence, she experienced in her relationships, it is easy to see that she had a problem trusting people, particularly men. But that encounter with Jesus left her feeling accepted, loved and known to God. As we encounter the living Lord Jesus Christ we too can know we are loved.

•    This passage encourages us to take a reality check on our own life, and if it bounces, make the right adjustments. Who are we finding it hard to love? What are we finding hard to love about ourselves? Until we resolve to make changes, nothing changes. The open doorway of prayer remains open, so that we do not have to travel through such times alone.

•    This passage beckons us to come before God in spirit and truth and seek for love to be born from above in each of our hearts. It sends us back into last weeks passage where Jesus told Nicodemus that what he needed in his life was to be born again through the action of the Holy Spirit. We also need to daily be renewed by prayer and worship, by service and devotion, ‘doing unto others as we would like them to do unto us’, loving God and loving neighbor.

Every act of worship is a great opportunity to take a reality check on our spiritual lives and to seek for the help of God’s Holy Spirit to revitalize us, renew us and lead us through whatever we may face in the days ahead. To God be all glory! Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

LENT 2 2023 "Are You Saved?"

Readings: Psalm 121, Genesis 12:1-4, Romans 4:1-17, John 3:1-17.
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, on March 5, 2023

 I am not a great fan of the sort of Christianity that turns religion into an isolated decision to follow Jesus Christ. I'm not the sort of preacher who punctuates every sermon with invitations for "Y'all to come down to the front and get saved."  I consciously try not to manipulate people’s guilt or emotions so as they make a misguided decision to be a disciple of  Jesus.
 
I well remember the lady who told me that she had been saved by Billy Graham five times and she couldn't wait for him to come and preach again so she could go down to the front and be saved once more. I believe that discipleship isn’t that easy or that shallow.

My personal reservations aside,  (and being a white, approaching retirement, middle class British male, I probably have more personal reservations than many) certain texts of Scripture do call us to ask the most direct, searching, and personal questions about our faith and our salvation. John Chapter Three is one of those  passages.  

In this passage Jesus tells us that unless we are born again, (or born from above) we shall not see the Kingdom of God.  That unless we are born of water and Spirit, we shall not enter the Kingdom of God. Spiritual birth is related to both seeing and entering the things of God. We are given some of the most well-known words of Scripture in John 3, verses16 and 17;  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.”

These passages compel us to ask the question,  "Are we saved?” Do we know the experience of being born again, or as it can also be translated being born "from above"? Have we considered the alternatives that Jesus offers?  We are asked to make a choice between eternity or perishing, salvation or judgment, light or darkness, earthly things, or heavenly things, to believe or not to believe in the saving work, the name and the person  and the witness of Jesus Christ.

Elsewhere we are told that it is by faith that we are saved, and by implication, that where there is no faith in Jesus Christ there is no salvation. Our Old Testament passage gave us the account of Abraham's calling and setting out on his journey of faith.

Abraham’s experience was one of new birth.  At birth we are born into a family, a nation, and a certain heritage.  Abraham is called, by the Spirit of God, to leave behind his family ties, his ties of nationality and his heritage. Those things that were naturally his by birth. He is called by faith to abandon and spiritually lay claim to a new family, a new country, a new life, a new hope, a new vision of who he was, how he related to God and all that was in the world around him.

Through the waters of birth, he was born into an earthly heritage.  Through the Spirit of God, he is born again, born from above, to a different way of being. Just as Jesus called Nicodemus to embrace a new way of life, a way not envisioned by the natural inclinations of man but by the vision of God, so Abraham was called. We also are called to be born afresh, to embark on a new journey, to leave the old behind and be part of something new.

For Nicodemus it was not going to be easy. He had intellectual difficulties to work through.  He had pictures in his mind of what birth was about and what religion was about and how a person should serve God and who Jesus was and what life was all about. He had thought deeply about these things.  He was a man with an education,  a teacher of Israel, a judge, a ruler among his people.  He had his social position and political position to consider. He had economic and religious commitments to consider.

Then again, it wasn't easy for Abraham. He also was a man tied to his tradition and his position.  He had commitments to things that made it hard to say "Yes" to God.  How could God bless him as being the Father of a new nation when he had no child, and his wife was barren?  How could he leave behind his established way and venture into the unknown for places he knew not where? You’re born, you make a life for yourself,  you have responsibilities, you’re settled, things are good... who wants to be born again and have to face all that over again?

Abraham’s journey turned out to be, not one isolated decision, but a continuous coming to terms with all that God was calling him to be.  Wrestling with tough decisions, being prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac, conflicts with family and neighbors, mistakes, and misunderstandings, all this and so much more.  
About Nicodemus we know less, but at the end of John's gospel he is one of those who, along with Joseph of Arimathea, comes to prepare the broken body of Jesus for burial, bringing spices and myrrh and laying His body in the tomb. Nicodemus, in time, came to believe enough in Jesus, to sacrifice all that he was, in order that his life may bring honor to that of Christ's.  

So, what of ourselves?  Are we on that journey?  The born from above, re-birthed journey? The salvation journey? Every journey must have a point of departure.  Earthly life begins as we depart from the waters of the womb and start to breathe the air and relate to the world around us. Until that point, we are an embryo, a human in the making, an unborn child.

Likewise spiritual life must have a point of departure. For Abraham it was a movement out from all that he held dear, to embrace a vision that he couldn’t precisely define. For Nicodemus it was having to choose between all that his life had so far taught him and to embrace the teaching of Jesus Christ.

That process of moving from a position of unbelief to a position of faith is what Jesus describes as being born from above or being born again.  It is seen as a different kind of birthing to human birth because it is a response to the work of God’s Spirit upon a person’s life.  It is a super-natural thing, dependent upon the initiative of God.

In Matthew’s gospel (16:17) when Peter came to make his confession of Jesus as being the Son of God, Jesus praises him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonas, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” Simon Peter is praised for showing evidence of spiritual rebirth by testifying to those things God was revealing in his heart.

Spiritual rebirth can take place as we draw near to Jesus.  It takes place as we hear His words and act upon them.  It takes place as we pray and open our hearts to God’s influence.  It takes place as we eek to serve others in Chris's name. It means asking Jesus to be at our center, not as a one off and once for all decision, (although that may well be our point of departure) but constantly seeking for His love to be at the heart of all things in our lives.

From my standpoint, which admittedly is extremely biased for I am after all a Presbyterian minister, I can only see what you can gain by committing your life to Jesus Christ.  It is a marvelous thing to have the assurance that your sins are forgiven. It is such freedom to not have to live with the guilt of past mistakes and daily lapses into sinfulness, because Christ died for our sins.

It is a liberating thing to know that my life and my death are in God’s hands.  Whilst I don’t always understand and often become frustrated with God for the injustices, the personal failures, the annoying things, the things I don’t understand, it is like a rock below the surface to know that despite my questions there is a God who knows all, sees all, and loves us despite it all.

At times I do become pessimistic, when I think of the state of the world, and all the stuff that’s wrong with it, but at other times I get excited at the prospect of the world as it shall be and what Scripture calls the hope of Glory.  I don’t have all the answers and a lot of the time don’t even ask the right questions, but God lets me in on all that I need to know, so even my ignorance is something God is working on.

I’ve heard people say sometimes, “Well, I would be a Christian, but I can’t take all that giving up stuff... all those dos and don’ts are just so repressive.”  Personally, I don’t have a problem with giving up death, which is where my life would be heading without Christ.  I don’t have a problem with giving up on doing stuff that is ultimately life cheapening or addictive or sometimes just plain stupid.

May God forgive us for at times portraying God as somehow being the invisible policeman, the great Mr. Kill-Joy in the sky. The prohibitions that Scripture presents us aren’t for any kind of sadistic divine pleasure. They are there because we are fallible,  unpredictable and certainly misguided creatures, with a tendency to make bad choices and wrong decisions.  Christ came that we may have life.... so, we can really live!

I can guarantee you that as you draw near to God, God won’t force you into giving up or taking up anything that’s against your will.  God's Spirit will work on you and change you.  Things you once thought really mattered will become of minor importance. Relationships will form with the most unlikely of people and situations. Life won’t be the same... but who wants more and more and more and more of the same?

A text like John 3:16  invites a response. If we don’t see that, we are not paying attention.
Because I know in my own life, I had been attending church for a while before I made that decisive step of commitment and surrender. But once I had, it opened to me a whole new world. I knew that God was with me. I knew that my sins were forgiven. I had a new purpose, a new way of looking at the world and the people around me. It was like being born again.

Worship became not a duty, but a natural response to what was being revealed about God’s love. The words of scripture started to become stories that resonated with my life and were filled with deep meaning. Prayer became, not an exercise in trying to get God to do things my way, but seeking to align my life with the things God was already doing. The influence of God’s Holy Spirit was tangible, real, and all around. It truly felt like something that was being born in me from above.

Maybe you have had similar experiences, but have now become bogged down, like the good seed that fell among the weeds. I have experienced that as well. There was a definite departure point, yet sometimes I have lost my way and times of re-commitment have been required. ‘Milestones on the journey’ I like to call them. There were days when it all seemed so clear, but others when I have not been so sure. And if that’s where any of us are right now today, around this communion table, would be a good time for renewing our commitment.  

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Why not join me in this commitment prayer.

“Lord Jesus Christ I ask you to come afresh into my heart this day.
Forgive me and renew me, that I may know Your salvation,
To the Glory of God. AMEN!”

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

LENT 1 2023 "The Temptations of Jesus"

Readings: Psalm 32, Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, on February 26, 2023

Every time we say the Lord's prayer, we use the phrase “Lead us not into temptation.” In our reading from Matthew this morning, being led into temptation is exactly what happens to Jesus. Following His baptism by John in the River Jordan, Jesus is found in the desert traveling through a 40 day period of prayer and fasting. It is during this intense preparation for the ministry, that the Devil is pictured coming to Him with three distinct propositions, the refutation of which would shape the ministry He would offer to the world.

In Matthews gospel the temptations appear to escalate in their attractiveness, beginning with satisfying personal hunger and culminating in world domination. Words of Scripture play an important part in each, indicating that words are precious, especially God's words. Words are easily twisted and taken out of context.

What did these temptations mean for Jesus? How can they challenge us, both as  a church community and as individuals?

The tempter came to Him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."  Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'

Jesus appears to be secure in the knowledge of who He was. The tempter twice uses the phrase  “If you are the Son of God” in a way that suggests... “Hey Jesus, You know who you are... but do You really think anybody else is going to believe it? You are going to have to do some spectacular things if anybody is ever going to swallow that one!”

From the outset Jesus makes it clear that He had come to lift up the poor, heal the sick and feed the hungry. On several occasions, such as the feeding of the 4000 and 5000 He shows that He wasn't beyond using unusual methods to meet people’s immediate need.

But turn stones into bread? That wasn't going to happen. Jesus places Himself among the ordinary people of God.  For Jesus, being the Son of God meant accepting His humanity and depending, like the rest of us, on God for daily bread.  He quotes the scripture  “Man shall not live on bread alone...” indicating that His mission was going to be about more than satisfying peoples physical needs.

For a church community the plight of the needy is always before us. We are doing a good and great thing whenever we seek to meet people’s physical needs. But we need to balance that, by also proclaiming that there is a Savior whose name is Jesus Christ and He alone can satisfy the deepest needs, not just of stomachs, but of souls.  Throughout church history there has always been a tension between what has been called the “Social gospel” and the “Spiritual gospel”. But it should not be an either/or choice. If we are to be the body of Christ, we will seek to embody both.

We live in a society that is blessed beyond measure in terms of physical provision. Many of us have never experienced real physical life threatening hunger. Yet we can be so desperately empty in our inner life and seek a myriad of solutions to meet such emptiness.  'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'  To really “live” the abundant, fruitful life that God invites us to we need the Word of God.  

We need to worship. We need to pray. We need to be in community with other believers. And we need to understand the temptation to deny that need is a Devilish suggestion that Jesus rebuked.

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.' " Jesus answered Him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

After his first failure to lure Jesus into misusing His status, the devil tries again, taking Him to Jerusalem, to the very highest point of the temple. This time the devil challenges Jesus to prove His identity by throwing Himself down and letting the angels rescue Him. If you’re so dependent on God, he seems to say, why don’t you take it a step further? You trust God to feed you. Do you trust God to protect you from harm?

Again, Jesus appears to have no lack of confidence in either His own identity or His Father's ability to take care of Him. He is not called to display, with or without angelic help, super-human flying abilities. Such would not only be a denial of His humanity, but more significantly, it would be an abuse of the power and authority invested in Him.

Notice about these temptations that although they present themselves in the wilderness, they come back to challenge Him again and again. Peter would try and talk Him out of going to the Cross and Jesus would tell him, “Get thee behind me Satan.”

In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus pleads with His Father, “Surely there has to be some other way than this cup of suffering...” In the end He resists taking another way and declares “Yet not my will, but thine be done.” And that's why there is a cup, representing the blood of Christ and the New Covenant brought about through His death, on the communion table. His power and authority were harnessed to service and doing God's will.

Sadly, over the centuries, the church has often stepped over the line when it has come to  authority. There is a reason why, in this land, you expect a separation of church and state. Religion has power. A  famous quote attributed to Lord John Acton. “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Whenever a church community starts to perceive themselves as  gatekeepers and power-brokers rather than disciples and servants it seems trouble is not far behind. 

On a personal level maybe, for us, it comes around to this. We are all people of influence and power. This is Suffolk County! Happening people, decision makers, and change-bringers are our neighbors. We have a voice that others will listen to. We have a say. We have a vote. We have wealth that allows us to make choices about everything from where our children are educated to where we spend our leisure time. We are a privileged people.

And with great privilege comes great responsibility. We can abuse that power. Power can create false feelings of superiority and pride. We can feel that somehow our opinions matter more than others because we are at the top of the food pile. We can see the needs of the world around us and rather than seek to do something about them, complain to God, “Am I my brother's keeper?” We can presume that because we are already blessed, God will, naturally, continue to bless us. 

What was it Jesus said? "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' Jesus was given a place of authority and influence in order that He may serve. He became the Servant King who washed His disciples’ feet and told them, “As I have done for you, so do unto others.”

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.' "

The final temptation of Jesus points to the subtle attraction of doing the right thing using the wrong means. The devil was saying to Jesus, “Hey, c'mon, we don't have to be enemies. Achieve your objectives by facing reality. The reality is this world operates by my rules.  You give in a little, and I'll give you the whole thing. Let's cooperate. Why make it hard on yourself?” But Jesus says “No deal. No way. ” "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.' "

What's going on? The devil is saying to Jesus, “You can accomplish your goals, you can win the world, you can fulfill God's purposes, but do it my way. Do you have to be so honest and candid all the time?  If you are going to get along in this world, you need to compromise now and then. If you are in business, you must cut corners sometimes to make a go of it. After all, that is the way most of the world does business. If you decide to be a person of integrity one hundred percent, you may lose the shirt off your back.”

The challenge for the church is as to whether it will do its work in the spirit of Christ and in response to the demands of the kingdom of God, or will it operate by the policies and practices of this world? Is any style or method of being the church acceptable as long as it attracts a greater following? Do the ends justify the means? 

How we treat each other, how we treat those who use our facilities, how we treat our employees and how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves speaks far more than the words can say about where our true priorities lie. Are we God-serving or self-serving? 

The price that Jesus would pay for His unwavering obedience to God was incredibly high. It would cost Him His life. Why was He prepared to take such a risk? There was no question in the mind of Jesus. He would remain steadfast in His absolute obedience and surrender to the will of God. 

The Devil challenges the very first commandment. “Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind and soul” by adding a little get out clause that says... “Well, at least most of the time.” That's the temptation right there. See how far you can push it. Acknowledge that if you want to get on in this world you are prepared to play the game. You can have it all if you want it.  "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.' "

Then we read “The devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.” We should pray not to be led into temptation because temptation is quite capable of finding us without needing our help! And the temptations Jesus faced, and which the church in every age has to face are not dissimilar to those we face every day.

•    We are tempted to live by bread alone and dismiss our need for the things of God, for worship and fellowship and prayer. But we cannot live by bread alone. When we try, we forget who we are and lose sight of our status as daughters and sons of the most High God.
•    We are tempted to misuse the privilege, power and authority God has placed in our hands, by using it to serve only ourselves, rather than harness it to task of building God's Kingdom. We are presumptuous of God's grace and blessing and act as such are a right, rather than true privilege.
•    In the light of the ways of this world we easily compromise on our faith and fail to live with integrity.

Take courage. We will be tempted. We will fall. We are not the first to fail. Christ died for our sins that we may start over again. Set free. Made new. Clean. Fresh. Righteous. Not through anything we have done, but through His death upon the Cross for us.

Consider these words from Hebrews 4:15-16 “ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”

To God's name be all glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.

Ash Wednesday "I'm Sorry"

  

"I'm Sorry!"
Readings: Joel 2:1-2, 12-17; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21.
Incarnation Lutheran Church, Bridgehampton, NY, February 22, 2023

I was at the shopping Mall. It was busy. I saw something I liked. A shiny red guitar in the shop window.  I was momentarily distracted and bumped into another person.

"Oh, I'm sorry", I said.

I wasn't really sorry.
 I was embarrassed.
I felt like I wanted to explain.

"It was just they have a sale on in the music shop and looks like there’s a real shiny guitar in there…  I didn't mean to crash into you!" But hold on a minute. That would mean I'd also have some explaining to do to my wife. "You need more guitars?" she might say. Again, I'd have to say, "I'm sorry".

But, hey, it was nothing.
Nobody got hurt.
All I did was bump into somebody.
I'm sorry if I'm making a big thing out of this, it's not really important.
I'm sorry.
I'm only human.

I'm sorry.
I mess up.
I get mixed up.

Sometimes I can't help doing the wrong thing when I'm trying to do the right.  Sometimes I do the right thing for the wrong reason.  So, it's probably not right at all.

Other times I do the wrong thing, but for the right reason which doesn't make it right, it carries on being wrong. So either way it looks like I'm in the wrong, so, O.K... I'm sorry.

"I'm sorry."
It's not enough, is it?
The words come so easily.

The prophet Joel says;
 
"Return to me with all your heart." (Joel 2:12).

You mean really be sorry?

Be sorry with tears and fasting, with heart rending compassion and mourning, with community and personal guilt.

Be sorry for the way you have despoiled the good earth. The land is scarred with blood and tears, with graves of the young and ghosts of ten thousand conflicts. The air, the earth, the rivers, the mountains, the seas, the sky all bear the marks of your greed.

Be sorry for the way you treat each other. I gave you equality.  You turned it into privilege. Some became enemies. Some became slaves.  Some were forgotten.  Some were pushed aside.  I am the stranger in your midst whom you did not welcome into your homes, I am the hungry one whom you never fed, the thirsty one whom you never offered a drink.

Be sorry for the way you have so much in a world where many have so little.
Be sorry for the blessings you have received and kept to yourself.
Be sorry for those who lie in chains whilst you walk free.
Be sorry for those whose tears are drowned out by your hollow laughter.
Be sorry for those who seek for love, whilst you seek for entertainment.

Be sorry, for it is hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven... like a camel trying get through the eye of a needle.  Be sorry, because the gate to hell is wide but the Kingdom can only be entered through a narrow door.  

Joel 2:16-17
"Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders... Let the Lord's ministers, weep between the porch and the altar,
and let them say, "Spare Thy people, O LORD"

"Turn to me with your whole heart".
Saying sorry - isn't enough.

"No", says Paul to the Corinthian Church,
"You're right. Sorry isn't enough. You need to be reconciled."

Reconciled to yourself - Reconciled to your world - Reconciled to your God.

Be Reconciled. But what does that mean?

The Greek word for reconciliation kathlla,so {kat al-las'-so} was originally used to describe what happened when you exchanged coins of equivalent value.  Then it came to mean putting things right that were at variance with each other.  It also came to mean being back in favor with someone.
 
Maybe the simplest way to describe reconciliation is ;- "Let's be friends".

Ever since the lies that shattered the silence of Eden, God has continued saying, "Let's be friends".  Saying sorry (and meaning it) is a great way to renew a friendship.  "When you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you". (Matthew 6:6).  That's how it is when you want to say, "I'm sorry" to a friend.  You go somewhere private and put things right.

Let the currency of guilt be exchanged for the richness of forgiveness.  Settle the account. Put right the difference.  Be back in favor with God.  Accept your righteousness in Christ.  Accept your sorry self as one whom Jesus died for so that you can be a friend of God.

Say sorry, but let there be no bargaining. You have nothing to give but your brokenness.
Say sorry, but let there be no protestations of innocence.
Say sorry, but let there be no presumption of deserved forgiveness.
Say sorry, and pray that God doesn't treat us as we deserve.
Say sorry, and thank God that God’s grace is greater than our sin.

In Christ is our salvation.
In Christ is our hope.
In Christ we are friends.

The One who never needed to say sorry took our sorrows upon Himself.

As we begin the season of Lent and head towards Easter we have the opportunity to reflect that the cost of friendship involves a cross.  Our journey begins with the repentance and ashes of Ash Wednesday.

We will encounter along the way times of rejoicing and times of sadness, times of betrayal and times of commitment.  At the end of our Easter road stands an empty tomb and a joyous celebration.

The day of saying "I'm sorry" will pass
and the time to say
"Christ is Risen. He is risen indeed"
will have come.

But today is the day for sorrow.
From dust we have come.
To dust we shall return.

The Reverend  Adrian J Pratt B.D.

 

The Conundrums of Corinth 6. “The Temple of You”

  The Conundrums of Corinth (And their legacy in the Church)
Readings;  Psalm 119:33-40, Leviticus 19:1-2,9-18, Matthew 5:38-48, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23
Preached at Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, NY, February 19 2023

I was on a youth retreat in West Virginia, and as sometimes happens, the kids were making comments about my accent being a little different to theirs. They took great amusement at the way I pronounced certain words and would say 'Say it again'. Then one of the guys looked me straight in the eye and asked, “What's it like... being you?”  

I have to say that I really wasn't sure how to answer. Never been asked that before, never been asked it since! 'What's it like, being you?' The strange thing is, sometimes on a Sunday morning when we're here in church, it seems to be the sort of probing question that God would ask us, both as individuals and as a community. 'What's it like, being you?'

I'm sure, given time for reflection, we could all come up with some kind of answer. 'Actually' one may say, 'Not to good being me right now, got a lot on my mind'. Another may say 'Couldn't be better, can't complain'. There would be as many different answers as we are different people. Maybe as a church community we'd respond, “Well we are going through some changes right now!”

'That's how you are,' God may reply, 'But do you know what you are?' “Do I know what I am?” 'Yes' says God , “Tell them what they are Paul!” At which point somebody could read for us from 1 Corinthians 3:10, “Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?” Or as it appears in the Message bible “You realize, don't you, that you are the temple of God, and God Himself is present in you?”

And that's what I want to talk about today. The temple of you. Because if we are temples, then there are implications to be faced. Temples need maintaining. Temples have a mission. The temple was the place for meeting with God, a sacred place, set apart and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

1. Temples Need Maintaining

Temples, be they a small pagan temple in Corinth, the grandest of temples in Jerusalem or your local Presbyterian Churches have one thing in common. They always need taking care of.  I know I could invite any of our building and grounds folks or our treasurer to come up this morning and tell you what a time-consuming and expensive job that can be. You have to care for a building.

This text reminds us that we also have to care for ourselves. 'You realize, don't you. That you are a temple...'  Historically Christianity has often created a divide between spirit and body, as though somehow the body was profane, and only our spiritual needs were sacred.

We are beginning to re-learn that body, soul and spirit are intimately related. That not all our diseases can be treated by administering a tablet. That prevention is better than a cure, that a healthy diet and physical life results in health benefits all round.

As I was doing some reading for this sermon, I came across this, which though it is written primarily for an African-American context, I'm sure you'll see applies to other contexts.

“For African-American youth, re-imagining themselves as 'sacred' would mean praying for God's wisdom to avoid the kinds of risky behaviors which leave the temple vulnerable to all manners of sickness, disease, violence and other forms of physical harm. For example; unprotected sexual activity and illegal drug and alcohol abuse. Adults need to see our youth as 'sacred bodies' and not as problems, thugs, lost causes, future prison inmates or absentee baby-daddies. If we begin to see them as future presidents, engineers, teachers, parents, preachers and more, then they will more likely see themselves and treat themselves in the same way.”

One can apply such an illustration to almost any group of people. To recognize our bodies as sacred means cherishing them. It means not being taken in by the lies the media tells us that certain body types and age groups are so much more significant than others. It means recognizing that  God has made you 'you’ and being thankful for that unique physical creation that you are!

If God says we are temples, then we need to ask ourselves, “How well are we doing in the area of personal buildings and grounds?” Not so we can compare ourselves with others, or compete with people different from us, but so that we can have the physical well-being God desires for our lives. Temples need maintaining.

2. Temples have a mission.

When He was 12 years old Jesus took a trip with His family to Jerusalem and we find Him in the temple debating with the teachers. (Luke 3:41-50). The temple was a place of learning. The body may well be a temple but the person who lives inside it needs more than just the physical. God gives us a body and a mind.

Presbyterians have always been strong promoters of education. There are around 60 colleges and universities nationwide related to the PC(USA), alongside 10 seminaries. For a denomination of our size, that's a lot! And the majority have a reputation for holding to the highest academic standards.

There remains an emphasis within our theology that all truth is God's truth. That the sciences and the arts are just as important as the theology and philosophy one traditionally associates with religious institutions. We believe that one of our callings in life is to grow in knowledge and wisdom. We are not happy with simplistic answers, easy solutions or simply offering the comment “Well, I think it says somewhere in the bible.”

We believe God has given us a mind and expects us to exercise it. That's why many churches have adult classes and bible studies. We recognize that we all have a lot to learn!

It also means we often hold to different positions on a whole variety of issues. This led to somebody quipping; “What do you get if you put two Presbyterians in a room together?” Answer? 'A disagreement!' Our Presbytery meetings can become quite volatile when opinions are strongly and deeply held.

Yet, for much of our history we have agreed that although we differ, we can still travel together. That the truth is so much greater than any of us can ever fully discern, and that sometimes we are the ones that need to listen, rather than those who have the answers. Sadly, there are times when people’s differences cause them to separate, but often when historically those situations are viewed retrospectively, we wonder why they were such a big deal!

Where I'm going with this is to say, 'Keep asking Questions.'  Keep your mind in gear. Never be afraid to think outside of the box or look beyond the confines of one’s own comfort zone. Having said that I would also encourage you to make that journey of inquiry in tandem with God and make the best use of the insights Scripture can offer. Bear in mind of course that in order to know what they are... you are going to have study the scriptures!

I like the way the Message Bible transliterates verses 18 and 19. “Don't fool yourself. Don't think that you can be wise merely by being up-to-date with the times.  Be God's fool—that's the path to true wisdom.” Temples have an educative component to their mission.

Temples need maintaining.
Temples have a mission.

3. The Temple was THE place for meeting with God.

a. The temple was the dwelling place of God. The Jews believed that God dwelt in the temple, took possession of it, and resided in it. “Don't you know” asks Paul in verse 16 of our reading today “That you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?”

I remember as a young person being invited to “Ask Jesus into my heart.” A little confusing if you take that image literally! What is meant by such a phrase is that we invite the Holy Spirit to be a central force in our lives, invite the power of resurrection to invade our time constrained existence, invite God to make a kingdom perspective the lens through which we view everything else around our lives.

Notice as well that this verse is both individual and corporate. “God's Spirit dwells in your midst.” Our lives individually and the life we share together as a church community are an arena for the activity of the living God.  In Matthew 18:20  teaches His disciples “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." The temple is a dwelling place of God.

b. The temple was set apart from common use for a holy purpose. Our call as Christians is not to be the same as everyone else and go along with the crowd. Jesus invites us to be in the world, but not of the world. (John 17:14) We are set apart for God's service, to live for God's glory and bring glory to God's name. How that works in our life and within our experience is something we work at with God!

c. The temple was a sacred place.  This brings us around full circle to where we began talking about looking after our bodies and nurturing our minds. Just as the temple was sacred to God, so our lives are sacred to God. Sacred enough to send His Son Jesus Christ to die on the Cross for us. Sacred enough to be a place in which God wants to accomplish the work of the Kingdom, within and through and all around us.

Returning to the question I was asked at a youth camp. 'What's it like, being you?'  Let's rephrase it and ask ourselves “How are we doing at being a temple?” Being a temple requires several things.

•    It takes maintenance. We need take care of ourselves physically. Exercise, diet, health, these are important.
•    Being a temple means we have a mission and a mind to discern what that mission is.
•     Being a temple means that our lives are a meeting place with God. We welcome the Spirit's presence and activity. We recognize that the call to be a disciple is a high call and a great privilege. We see our life in its totality, body, soul and spirit as a sacred trust.

“Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?”

May God help us to live into our calling! And to God's name be all glory. Amen.

The Reverend Adrian J. Pratt B.D.