Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

This is a special musical performance by the Faith Bells of Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan of O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.

This is a special musical performance by the chancel choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan of I Will Keep My Eyes On You.

This is a special musical performance by the chancel choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan of I Will Keep My Eyes On You.

Historian, Douglas Brinkley, writes: “Usually, one day in a century rises above the others as an accepted turning point or historic milestone. It becomes the climactic day, or 'the day,' of that century.”  9/11 was a huge turning point for our country.  And, I suspect there are more to come in this century.  Turning points bring major change and they cause us to move in a different direction.  Turning points can cause global change, change within an entire culture or, if the turning point is in our own life, it can cause us as individuals to change the direction we are going.  I know I have experienced turning points in my life and it is because of those turning points that I am here today.

Well, today we come to the place in the gospel where we find the central turning point in Mark.  Just before this reading, Jesus has asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” In response, impetuous Peter had gotten all excited and professed that Jesus is indeed the long-promised Messiah.  And now, Jesus immediately begins to tell his disciples what being the Messiah is all about, what he will be doing.  He says, “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.”  Well, Jesus’ words to the disciples are devastating.  His words shatter and obliterate the disciples’ preconceived notions of everything they expected a coming Messiah would do.  So, as reactive Peter hears this, he immediately backs away and rebukes Jesus.  Jesus’ words simply destroy the glamor of following this long-expected Messiah.  This is certainly not the kind of life Peter wants to undertake.  While Jesus seems to be the Messiah, the Jewish people had never expected a leader who must suffer and die.  That was simply ludicrous and irrational.  Who in their right mind chooses to “proceed to an ordeal of suffering” as Jesus says he is doing?  And, who in their right mind wants to even follow a leader who is on his way to die?  This comes as a complete surprise. Nothing they have experienced has prepared them for Jesus to say he will suffer and die on a cross.  And, what is even more appalling is that Jesus is telling them that if they want to be his disciples, they must deny themselves and take up their crosses and follow him!  No, this is NOT what they had hoped for.

Now, lest we judge Peter too quickly, we need to take a serious look at ourselves.  Jesus’ words are just as hard for us to hear.  You see, most of us choose religion and come to believe important things deeply because we feel they are good for us.  We like a religion that makes us feel good.  We like a faith that fits our comfortable, recreational life styles.  We like a faith that makes us feel happy, loved, at peace, and free from the challenges of life around us.  We want a religion that will make us healthy, wealthy and wise.  We want to follow a strong God who “heals our illnesses, provides ample prosperity, guarantees security, and urges our sports teams on to victory.”  (David Lose) Suffering does not fit into that plan.  It is not appealing.  If anyone of us are offered a life of suffering versus a life free from suffering, you can be your bottom dollar we are going to go for the one that is pain free!  Yet, this is where we must get very honest about the Christian life.  Christianity is not about living an easier life, living a life free from pain, or believing in a God we can turn to as our personal Santa Claus to help solve life’s problems and give us all we want.  Quite frankly, following Jesus is often going to make our lives more complicated and challenging.

Jesus’ words are hard and his way extreme.  Surely God did not covenant with Abraham and Sarah, and with their descendants to bring them into the promised land only to say, “Now let it all go.”  The Messiah is supposed to offer security, protection, and put Israel back on top.  Faith in Jesus, Peter is learning, is not about the elimination of risks, the preservation of life, and the ability to control.  Instead, Jesus asks us to risk it all, abandon our lives, and relinquish control to God.  That is what Jesus is doing and he expects nothing less of those who would follow him.

The way of Christ, self-denial, reminds us that our life is not our own.  It belongs to God.  It reminds us that we are not in control, God is.  Our life is not about us.  It is about God.  There is great freedom in knowing and living this truth, freedom to be fully alive.  Through self-denial our falling down becomes rising up, losing is saving, and death is resurrection.

As long as we believe our life is about us we will continue to exercise power over others, try to save ourselves, control our circumstances, and maybe even rebuke Jesus.  Jesus rarely exercised power over others or tried to control circumstances.  He simply made different choices.  Self-denial is not about being out of control or powerless.  It is about the choices we make.

Jesus chose to give in a world that takes, to love in a world that hates, to heal in a world that injures, to give life in a world that kills.  He offered mercy when others sought vengeance, forgiveness when others condemned, and compassion when others were indifferent.  He trusted God’s abundance when others said there was not enough.  With each choice he denied himself and showed God was present.

At some point, these kinds of choices will catch the attention of and offend those who live and profit by power, control, and looking out for number one.  People who are offended will not deny themselves.  They will react.  Jesus said they would.  He knew that he would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes.  It happens in every age for those who choose the path of self-denial.  When it happened for Jesus, he made one last choice.  He chose the cross and resurrection over survival.

Every day of our lives we face choices, and some of those choices are real turning points.  In today’s reading, Jesus says to each of us, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.  You’re not in the driver’s seat, I am.  Don’t run from suffering, embrace it.  If any of you want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Follow me and I’ll show you how.  Self-help is no help at all.  Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.  What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?  What could you ever trade your soul for?” 

The point at which Jesus says this to his disciples is the turning point in Mark’s telling of the Jesus story and it is the turning point for each of us in our life of faith. The words Jesus speaks to us today present THE big defining choice for every Christian.  “If any of you want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me….”

Historian, Douglas Brinkley, writes: “Usually, one day in a century rises above the others as an accepted turning point or historic milestone. It becomes the climactic day, or 'the day,' of that century.”  9/11 was a huge turning point for our country.  And, I suspect there are more to come in this century.  Turning points bring major change and they cause us to move in a different direction.  Turning points can cause global change, change within an entire culture or, if the turning point is in our own life, it can cause us as individuals to change the direction we are going.  I know I have experienced turning points in my life and it is because of those turning points that I am here today.

Well, today we come to the place in the gospel where we find the central turning point in Mark.  Just before this reading, Jesus has asked the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” In response, impetuous Peter had gotten all excited and professed that Jesus is indeed the long-promised Messiah.  And now, Jesus immediately begins to tell his disciples what being the Messiah is all about, what he will be doing.  He says, “It is necessary that the Son of Man proceed to an ordeal of suffering, be tried and found guilty by the elders, high priests, and religion scholars, be killed, and after three days rise up alive.”  Well, Jesus’ words to the disciples are devastating.  His words shatter and obliterate the disciples’ preconceived notions of everything they expected a coming Messiah would do.  So, as reactive Peter hears this, he immediately backs away and rebukes Jesus.  Jesus’ words simply destroy the glamor of following this long-expected Messiah.  This is certainly not the kind of life Peter wants to undertake.  While Jesus seems to be the Messiah, the Jewish people had never expected a leader who must suffer and die.  That was simply ludicrous and irrational.  Who in their right mind chooses to “proceed to an ordeal of suffering” as Jesus says he is doing?  And, who in their right mind wants to even follow a leader who is on his way to die?  This comes as a complete surprise. Nothing they have experienced has prepared them for Jesus to say he will suffer and die on a cross.  And, what is even more appalling is that Jesus is telling them that if they want to be his disciples, they must deny themselves and take up their crosses and follow him!  No, this is NOT what they had hoped for.

Now, lest we judge Peter too quickly, we need to take a serious look at ourselves.  Jesus’ words are just as hard for us to hear.  You see, most of us choose religion and come to believe important things deeply because we feel they are good for us.  We like a religion that makes us feel good.  We like a faith that fits our comfortable, recreational life styles.  We like a faith that makes us feel happy, loved, at peace, and free from the challenges of life around us.  We want a religion that will make us healthy, wealthy and wise.  We want to follow a strong God who “heals our illnesses, provides ample prosperity, guarantees security, and urges our sports teams on to victory.”  (David Lose) Suffering does not fit into that plan.  It is not appealing.  If anyone of us are offered a life of suffering versus a life free from suffering, you can be your bottom dollar we are going to go for the one that is pain free!  Yet, this is where we must get very honest about the Christian life.  Christianity is not about living an easier life, living a life free from pain, or believing in a God we can turn to as our personal Santa Claus to help solve life’s problems and give us all we want.  Quite frankly, following Jesus is often going to make our lives more complicated and challenging.

Jesus’ words are hard and his way extreme.  Surely God did not covenant with Abraham and Sarah, and with their descendants to bring them into the promised land only to say, “Now let it all go.”  The Messiah is supposed to offer security, protection, and put Israel back on top.  Faith in Jesus, Peter is learning, is not about the elimination of risks, the preservation of life, and the ability to control.  Instead, Jesus asks us to risk it all, abandon our lives, and relinquish control to God.  That is what Jesus is doing and he expects nothing less of those who would follow him.

The way of Christ, self-denial, reminds us that our life is not our own.  It belongs to God.  It reminds us that we are not in control, God is.  Our life is not about us.  It is about God.  There is great freedom in knowing and living this truth, freedom to be fully alive.  Through self-denial our falling down becomes rising up, losing is saving, and death is resurrection.

As long as we believe our life is about us we will continue to exercise power over others, try to save ourselves, control our circumstances, and maybe even rebuke Jesus.  Jesus rarely exercised power over others or tried to control circumstances.  He simply made different choices.  Self-denial is not about being out of control or powerless.  It is about the choices we make.

Jesus chose to give in a world that takes, to love in a world that hates, to heal in a world that injures, to give life in a world that kills.  He offered mercy when others sought vengeance, forgiveness when others condemned, and compassion when others were indifferent.  He trusted God’s abundance when others said there was not enough.  With each choice he denied himself and showed God was present.

At some point, these kinds of choices will catch the attention of and offend those who live and profit by power, control, and looking out for number one.  People who are offended will not deny themselves.  They will react.  Jesus said they would.  He knew that he would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes.  It happens in every age for those who choose the path of self-denial.  When it happened for Jesus, he made one last choice.  He chose the cross and resurrection over survival.

Every day of our lives we face choices, and some of those choices are real turning points.  In today’s reading, Jesus says to each of us, “Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead.  You’re not in the driver’s seat, I am.  Don’t run from suffering, embrace it.  If any of you want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. Follow me and I’ll show you how.  Self-help is no help at all.  Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self.  What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you?  What could you ever trade your soul for?” 

The point at which Jesus says this to his disciples is the turning point in Mark’s telling of the Jesus story and it is the turning point for each of us in our life of faith. The words Jesus speaks to us today present THE big defining choice for every Christian.  “If any of you want to follow me, you must deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me….”

Come and here a Sermon based on the Gospel of Matthew 5: 1-3

Come and here a Sermon based on the Gospel of Matthew 5: 1-3

On this first Sunday in Lent we intentionally embark on a forty-day journey to the cross.  And every year, on this first Sunday in Lent, we encounter Jesus experiencing forty days in the desert as we begin our forty-day journey.  As Mark tells the story, we find Jesus is driven or pushed into the wilderness.  The gospel writer tells us Jesus has just been baptized by John, an experience in which he saw the sky violently split open and God’s Spirit descend upon him in the form of a gentle dove.  He has just heard God’s voice say to him, “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love.  You are the pride of my life.”  Then, immediately following this experience the same Spirit that descended upon him as a gentle dove, turns into a dive bomber or mac truck and pushes Jesus out into the wild.  We are not given any hint or clue that Jesus chose to do this of his own volition.  The writer of Mark’s gospel makes it clear that Jesus was forcefully driven or pushed into the wilderness by the Spirit, something outside of himself. 

Now, the wilderness is not a safe place.  It is a treacherous, wild place with tricky, barren terrain. It is a place where one experiences the burning rays of the beating sun, the hungry wolves and wild beasts, and something many of us do not like to face – solitude.  We can probably surmise that, like most of us, when Jesus faced solitude he faced his own inner voices.

Mark tells us that, having been driven into the wilderness, Jesus was tempted or tested by Satan.  Jesus did not choose to go into the wilderness and he did not choose to be tempted.  Beyond this, Mark simply does not give us many details about Jesus’ forty-day experience.  Unlike the other gospels, we are not given any scripted arguments between Jesus and Satan and no details about hunger for food or power.  All we are told is that Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, was tempted by Satan, was with the wild beasts and the angels waited on him.  Yes, the angels took care of him.  God’s presence was there for him and with him throughout that forty-day experience. And, as we begin our forty-day Lenten journey, we remember Jesus’ experience and we are given the promise that God is with us as we face our own challenges in the wilderness experiences of our lives. 

The wilderness or the desert is not only a physical, geographical place.  It is also a spiritual place where we find multiple spots to engage in self-examination, struggle and repentance.  It is a place where we often discover we have to face ourselves.  And, the wilderness is not a place where we eagerly volunteer to go.  Quite frankly, we do not choose to experience times of temptation, struggle, sorrow or pain.  We do not go out actively seeking challenging situations or hardships.  Now, I do not for one minute believe that God causes us to experience hardship or suffering in life.  I do not believe that God causes us any kind of misery to teach us a lesson or punish us in any way.  That is not the kind of loving God Jesus proclaims.  Yet, we do face times of struggle, trial and misery in our lives.  However, just as God was present to Jesus during those trying forty days, God is present to us in all of our challenges in life, those times when a marriage comes to an end, those times when we find our children struggling, those times when a loved one dies, those times when we or a loved one struggles with addiction, those times when we lose a job, those times of hardship when we cannot sense a glimmer of hope, those times when we as a nation again experience the horror of another shooting like last Wednesday in Florida, those times when our experience seems void of the presence of God.  God is there, present to us in all of the struggles and temptations we face, in all of the chaos and pain.  And, God is at work in the depth of those experiences, transforming them, bringing order out of chaos and bringing forth newness and life.

As we intentionally take time for reflection and repentance during this Lenten season, we begin in the wilderness.  Lent can be a time to take stock in our lives, and to really begin to come clean about those things that tempt us.  The wilderness is a place where we can let go of all pretense and allow ourselves to be honest and vulnerable.  This wilderness experience can allow us to take a real look at the way we try to hide our pain, take a look at the perfectionism that plagues us, the competitive nature that drives us, the denial that is epidemic within us and around us, and take a look at the way our brokenness shapes our entire being and way of life.  This wilderness can be a place where we find the freedom to confess the messiness of our lives.  And, the truth of the matter is, the wilderness experience is not just a Lenten experience.  Whether we like it or not, the wilderness is the place where we live out our lives. 

When I was young, a time that increasingly seems long, long ago, I used to love watching MASH.  Those of you who watched that show might remember one episode where Father Mulcahy, the unit’s priest, tried to talk with a wounded soldier who had been severely traumatized by what he witnessed on the front lines of war.  When this soldier finds out Father Mulcahy had not once even been close to where the fighting was taking place, the soldier decides they just cannot talk. You see, he had no interest in hearing the pious platitudes of a person who had not been on the front lines, so he felt he could not begin to relate to the priest.  Later in the episode, after Father Mulcahy does come under enemy fire and is forced to perform an emergency medical procedure on a different soldier, even as shells are exploding all around him, the first soldier welcomes Father Mulcahy after all. Now they have a common frame of reference, and now they can talk. And, it is then that Father Mulcahy gets it and understands why the soldier had not been able to relate to him. 

In the person of Jesus, God has entered the front lines of human existence.  He has already been in the wilderness.  In the person of Jesus, God has entered into the wilderness of our lives and engaged the sharp, jagged edges of this broken, sorrow filled world.  God does walk with us through all of our experiences in the wild.  Jesus walks with each one of us through the front lines of our lives.  As he walks with us in the wilderness, we discover we can let go of the sinful, false self and entrust our messy, broken, mixed up lives to God.  And, guess what?  It is then that we finally discover our true selves.  Then, we begin to discover more deeply what it means to be named as God’s beloved child and made God’s very own.  Then we begin to discover more deeply that our entire life is bathed in God’s grace.  And, then we begin to discover how deeply we are loved by the God of all creation.

On this first Sunday in Lent we intentionally embark on a forty-day journey to the cross.  And every year, on this first Sunday in Lent, we encounter Jesus experiencing forty days in the desert as we begin our forty-day journey.  As Mark tells the story, we find Jesus is driven or pushed into the wilderness.  The gospel writer tells us Jesus has just been baptized by John, an experience in which he saw the sky violently split open and God’s Spirit descend upon him in the form of a gentle dove.  He has just heard God’s voice say to him, “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love.  You are the pride of my life.”  Then, immediately following this experience the same Spirit that descended upon him as a gentle dove, turns into a dive bomber or mac truck and pushes Jesus out into the wild.  We are not given any hint or clue that Jesus chose to do this of his own volition.  The writer of Mark’s gospel makes it clear that Jesus was forcefully driven or pushed into the wilderness by the Spirit, something outside of himself. 

Now, the wilderness is not a safe place.  It is a treacherous, wild place with tricky, barren terrain. It is a place where one experiences the burning rays of the beating sun, the hungry wolves and wild beasts, and something many of us do not like to face – solitude.  We can probably surmise that, like most of us, when Jesus faced solitude he faced his own inner voices.

Mark tells us that, having been driven into the wilderness, Jesus was tempted or tested by Satan.  Jesus did not choose to go into the wilderness and he did not choose to be tempted.  Beyond this, Mark simply does not give us many details about Jesus’ forty-day experience.  Unlike the other gospels, we are not given any scripted arguments between Jesus and Satan and no details about hunger for food or power.  All we are told is that Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, was tempted by Satan, was with the wild beasts and the angels waited on him.  Yes, the angels took care of him.  God’s presence was there for him and with him throughout that forty-day experience. And, as we begin our forty-day Lenten journey, we remember Jesus’ experience and we are given the promise that God is with us as we face our own challenges in the wilderness experiences of our lives. 

The wilderness or the desert is not only a physical, geographical place.  It is also a spiritual place where we find multiple spots to engage in self-examination, struggle and repentance.  It is a place where we often discover we have to face ourselves.  And, the wilderness is not a place where we eagerly volunteer to go.  Quite frankly, we do not choose to experience times of temptation, struggle, sorrow or pain.  We do not go out actively seeking challenging situations or hardships.  Now, I do not for one minute believe that God causes us to experience hardship or suffering in life.  I do not believe that God causes us any kind of misery to teach us a lesson or punish us in any way.  That is not the kind of loving God Jesus proclaims.  Yet, we do face times of struggle, trial and misery in our lives.  However, just as God was present to Jesus during those trying forty days, God is present to us in all of our challenges in life, those times when a marriage comes to an end, those times when we find our children struggling, those times when a loved one dies, those times when we or a loved one struggles with addiction, those times when we lose a job, those times of hardship when we cannot sense a glimmer of hope, those times when we as a nation again experience the horror of another shooting like last Wednesday in Florida, those times when our experience seems void of the presence of God.  God is there, present to us in all of the struggles and temptations we face, in all of the chaos and pain.  And, God is at work in the depth of those experiences, transforming them, bringing order out of chaos and bringing forth newness and life.

As we intentionally take time for reflection and repentance during this Lenten season, we begin in the wilderness.  Lent can be a time to take stock in our lives, and to really begin to come clean about those things that tempt us.  The wilderness is a place where we can let go of all pretense and allow ourselves to be honest and vulnerable.  This wilderness experience can allow us to take a real look at the way we try to hide our pain, take a look at the perfectionism that plagues us, the competitive nature that drives us, the denial that is epidemic within us and around us, and take a look at the way our brokenness shapes our entire being and way of life.  This wilderness can be a place where we find the freedom to confess the messiness of our lives.  And, the truth of the matter is, the wilderness experience is not just a Lenten experience.  Whether we like it or not, the wilderness is the place where we live out our lives. 

When I was young, a time that increasingly seems long, long ago, I used to love watching MASH.  Those of you who watched that show might remember one episode where Father Mulcahy, the unit’s priest, tried to talk with a wounded soldier who had been severely traumatized by what he witnessed on the front lines of war.  When this soldier finds out Father Mulcahy had not once even been close to where the fighting was taking place, the soldier decides they just cannot talk. You see, he had no interest in hearing the pious platitudes of a person who had not been on the front lines, so he felt he could not begin to relate to the priest.  Later in the episode, after Father Mulcahy does come under enemy fire and is forced to perform an emergency medical procedure on a different soldier, even as shells are exploding all around him, the first soldier welcomes Father Mulcahy after all. Now they have a common frame of reference, and now they can talk. And, it is then that Father Mulcahy gets it and understands why the soldier had not been able to relate to him. 

In the person of Jesus, God has entered the front lines of human existence.  He has already been in the wilderness.  In the person of Jesus, God has entered into the wilderness of our lives and engaged the sharp, jagged edges of this broken, sorrow filled world.  God does walk with us through all of our experiences in the wild.  Jesus walks with each one of us through the front lines of our lives.  As he walks with us in the wilderness, we discover we can let go of the sinful, false self and entrust our messy, broken, mixed up lives to God.  And, guess what?  It is then that we finally discover our true selves.  Then, we begin to discover more deeply what it means to be named as God’s beloved child and made God’s very own.  Then we begin to discover more deeply that our entire life is bathed in God’s grace.  And, then we begin to discover how deeply we are loved by the God of all creation.

This is a special musical performance of Lamb of God, What Wondrous Love (Faure, arr. Petker) with the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir and members of Okemos Presbyterian Church choir.