Prayer as Call and Response (Call2Fall Sermon)

Call2Fall Sunday
July 3, 2016
Fr. Philip Eberhart


PRAYER AS CALL AND RESPONSE
      click here to listen to the audio sermon


On the eve of our celebrations tomorrow on the 4th of July, Independence Day, our hearts naturally turn to the inherent nationalism that rests in our bones as Americans.  We sing America the Beautiful and our hearts soar like one of the scenes from Arial America, as a helicopter flies over the Grand Canyon or the Rocky Mountains here in Colorado!  Over the fields in Eastern Colorado or in Kansas or Oklahoma as they are being harvested!!  

We know that our heritage and this land is a gift from God!  And on this Sunday of all Sundays we give thanks to God for the fact that we are fortunate enough to have been born into such a place on the earth!  It is a unique place and a unique time in the history of the planet!!

But our days may be numbered.  Now why would I say something like that?  

We all know the fact that our land is one that has a unique heritage, even a blessed and godly heritage.  If you go to Washington DC that fact is absolutely inescapable!  We hear all the hoopla about our Atheist friends trying to remove all references to religion and God from public life.  I think about my last tour of Washington DC and I laugh!!

No 10 Commandments?  but what about the ones depicted on the doors into the Supreme Court chambers?

 No matter how much our secular friends squirm there are repeated depictions of Moses, the lawgiver (among others certainly), but Moses is a central figure in the 
friezes inside and outside the courtroom itself.  You simply cannot escape the weight of history here and the place of a Judeo-Christian ethic and faith at the core of all that the founders believed and were intentional about propagating.

Thousands of quotes from Washington to Jefferson, Adams to Lincoln and on down the years, have our Presidents giving credit to the Almighty for help given, for direction, for provision, for protection.  In our day historians try their best to expunge the religious heritage of our nation, but they are trapped in their own foolish endeavor, and can be proven foolish by any 8th grade student who is paying attention as he or she is walking around the National Mall. 

Friends, we live in a land that is rife with Christian history, Christian markings and symbolism, Christian intention.  But history, markings, symbolism and intention only take us so far.  Today we are in a culture that has turned away from that history, from the marked path, from the symbols and intentions of a Christian heritage.  The question is what now?  How can we turn the tide today?

We've heard for at least 4 decades the quote of promise at the dedication of the temple in 2 Chronicles 7:14
   "If my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray, seek my Face and turn from their wicked ways; Then will I hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and heal their land."

Friends, this was a directive given to Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem.  The point of this is that its not about our nation, its about us!  Did you hear that:  "MY PEOPLE WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME"

As Christians we are the MY PEOPLE God is talking to.  We are the people in this land that are Called by His NAME!  We cannot stand and point the fingers at the politicians, and the press and the culture, because we are the Salt and the Light for those institutions.  I saw a quote the other day from President Garfield:

As a Congressman, James Garfield had stated at the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1876:

"Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption.


If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislature...

If the next centennial does not find us a great nation... it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."

In short, the decline of the nation is because the Christian Church has ceased to be salt and light.  We have acquiesced to the culture in so many ways that we are completely indistinguishable from the culture around us.  Think about the nature of Salt or Light:  They are both radical influences in their particular ways.  Salt is a preservative and an influence of taste; Light is the instantaneous and complete dissolution and expulsion of darkness:  Where there is light, darkness doesn't exist!
The problem isn't with the darkness being dark, it is with the absence of the LIGHT!

Nehemiah, when he began his enterprise to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, began in repentance for his own and his father's sins!  Our rebuilding enterprise must begin in the exact same place!  According to the formula in 2 Chron 7 we must ...

HUMBLE OURSELVES - nothing signifies that like bowing our knees.  I've placed these two kneelers here at the front for just that purpose, but you may come and bow here on the floor, or at your pew.

PRAY!!  It's time! Friends, its time.  We need to pray ... pray like never before, for God's divine mercy on our lives, the lives of our children and the future of this nation. Our politics and political power plays have failed us.  The politics of this nation on both sides of the aisle reflect the state of those who have voted!

We need to Seek God's Face and Turn from wickedness.  Those two things are completely done by US who are Called by HIS NAME.  It is our job to Seek God's Face and to Turn From OUR wicked ways.  Those who are salt and light can no longer disengage from this culture, and continue to live in it.

You ask, "But how do we change all this?"  WE don't.  HE does.  Our side is the HUMBLE YOURSELF - PRAY - SEEK GOD'S FACE - TURN FROM YOUR WICKED WAYS.

His side is that He will HEAR FROM HEAVEN - FORGIVE OUR SIN - HEAL OUR LAND!  This second part is above our pay grade!  In other words we cannot maneuver or manipulate ourselves out of this mess!  We have to follow the map!  Humility, prayer, desperately seeking God and turning from our own sin in true repentance.  That is our part.

So shall we get to it?  I would like you to join me on our knees this morning as we conclude the sermon time with prayer.  Your response is HEAR OUR PRAYER:

A General Prayer of Repentance (Call2Fall)

General Litany of Repentance 

Heavenly Father,

Lord, You are good; Your steadfast love endures forever, and Your faithfulness to all generations
(Ps 100:5, ESV).

We come on bended knee to acknowledge our utter dependence upon You, our Creator, God, and Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. You are God of the Old and New Testaments. Your Covenant of love with us who believe is sealed by the blood of Your Son. Your promise to bless us if we believe, honor and obey You and to judge us if we do not, continues in force (Ps 95:6-7; Rom 5:8-9; Heb 8:10)

 We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Lord, today, we unite with fellow Christians across America, from many denominations and backgrounds, falling to our knees before You, asking You to help us humble ourselves, not only today, but every day. Hear our prayers, forgive our sins and heal our land (2 Chr 7:14)!

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

We have been proud and arrogant, as individuals, families, churches and as a nation. You have singularly blessed us, but we have taken Your blessing for granted (Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5-6)

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

 You are worthy of our love and devotion. Instead, we have forgotten You and ignored Your word. We have not esteemed You as Almighty God, nor have we honored, served and obeyed You as we ought (Ps 18; Rev 4:11).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Few of us are walking in pure devotion to You, worshiping wholeheartedly, praying without ceasing, and daily feeding upon Your word. Too few of us have given ourselves enthusiastically to do Your will and labored diligently to finish Your work. Rather we have forsaken You, the Spring of Living water, and imbibed the stagnant waters of our modern culture (Pr 12:24; Jer 2:13; Mt 4:10; Jn 4:34; 1 Th 5:17; 2 Tim 2:15).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

You call us to be a light, to live holy lives, to walk in Christian love and carry the gospel of Christ to the nations. Instead, we have withheld the grace of Your gospel from our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers, allowing far too many to face a Christ-less eternity. You command us to bring up our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, yet our youth are abandoning the faith in unprecedented numbers. While we ignore Your command to preach the gospel, those who serve false gods zealously proselytize, trapping millions in eternal darkness and confusion. We have been complacent, apathetic, lazy, disobedient, and unfaithful to Your call (Mt 5:14-16).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

You charge us to be salt to our culture, to preserve truth and all that is godly and pure. Yet we have allowed the rot of godless media and entertainment to fill our homes. Instead of permeating our culture with vital Biblical truth, instead of filling our homes, churches, schools, businesses, halls of government, and thus our nation with eternal truth and reality, we have allowed them to be infected by lies and spiritual darkness. Instead of changing the world, the world has changed us. We seem impotent. Having failed to be the salt of the earth, we are fast becoming good for nothing except to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men (Mt 5:13).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Lord, the living faith of our Forefathers, their love and devotion to their children, and their commitment to future generations compelled them to sacrifice their lives for us. Yet we have become the “me generation.” We elect leaders, not for their righteousness, but their promise to give us benefits. Absorbed with our own lives and material possessions, we have lost sight of all that is important: God and family, our neighbors, our fellow countrymen and the people beyond the seas whom You love and for whom You gave Your Son (Pr 29:2; Ex 18:21).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Now, our nation is under judgment; natural disasters pummel our cities and countryside; we face war on two fronts; rogue nations hate us and international terrorists have penetrated our borders. Economic collapse cripples entire regions, millions are out of work; preachers and politicians are put on display for their acts of corruption and immorality; our leaders mortgage our children’s future to build political monuments to themselves. Our jails and prisons are filled to overflowing. Our children are enslaved by unthinkable sins, sex, drugs and alcohol. Abortion and sexual immorality have become protected rights, and legislators, judges and governors impose homosexual “marriage” upon their citizens. Our schools teach that “marriage” between a man and a man is morally equivalent to holy matrimony between a man and woman; evil is called good, and good is called evil. The curses you warned would come to a disobedient people have all come upon us (Dt 8:11-20; 28: all; Is 5:20)

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Unless You, Lord, intervene and bring revival to the Church, Awakening to the nation and spiritual reformation to our culture, our once God-blessed nation will go the way of ancient Carthage, Greece, and Rome. Persecution will surely become our lot (Ps 85:6; 94:17; Mt 5:13b).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Lord, we cry out to You today. Hear our cry. Help us to seek Your Face. Show us Your Face, and help us to turn from our wicked ways (2 Chr 7:14).

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Lord, Heal our Land. Show us mercy! Forgive us our sins and cleanse us! Revive Your churches. Set our pulpits aflame with righteousness. Purge compromise from our pews and cause Your word to go forth to every city and town in America. Make Your people salt and light again. Raise up godly leaders in church and state and grant that we might lead quiet and peaceable lives in godliness and honesty. Help us to return wholly to You and return, Lord, to us. We pray in the Name of Jesus, knowing that Your word declares, “The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever." (2 Chr 7:14; Is 40:8; Joel 2:15-18; Mal 3:7a; 2 Cor 7:1; 1 Jn 1:9)

We say:  Lord, in your mercy...
HEAR OUR PRAYER

Call2Fall Sunday [Prayers for our Nation, Leaders, National Life, and Election]

Prayers for National Life

[Source: Book of Common Prayer]

For our Country

Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage:
We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a
people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land
with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners.
Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and 

arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and 

fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither 

out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of 

wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority 

of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, 

and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy 

praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, 

fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer 

not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ 

our Lord. Amen.




For the President of the United States and all in Civil Authority
O Lord our Governor, whose glory is in all the world: We
commend this nation to thy merciful care, that, being guided
by thy Providence, we may dwell secure in thy peace. Grant
to the President of the United States, the Governor of this
State (or Commonwealth), and to all in authority, wisdom
and strength to know and to do thy will. Fill them with the
love of truth and righteousness, and make them ever mindful
of their calling to serve this people in thy fear; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the
Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

For Congress or a State Legislature
O God, the fountain of wisdom, whose will is good and
gracious, and whose law is truth: We beseech thee so to guide
and bless our Senators and Representatives in Congress
assembled (or in the Legislature of this State, or Common-
wealth), that they may enact such laws as shall please thee,
to the glory of thy Name and the welfare of this people;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.



For Courts of Justice
Almighty God, who sittest in the throne judging right: We
humbly beseech thee to bless the courts of justice and the
magistrates in all this land; and give unto them the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, that they may discern the truth,
and impartially administer the law in the fear of thee alone;
through him who shall come to be our Judge, thy Son our
Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Sound Government     The responses in italics may be omitted.

O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we
may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to
other nations of the earth.
Lord, keep this nation under your care.

To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors
of States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative
authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their
duties.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our
laws in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and
foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to
fulfill our obligations in the community of nations.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding
and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and
justice served.
Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to
accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they
may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for
the well-being of our society; that we may serve you
faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name.
For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as
head above all. Amen.

For Local Government
Almighty God our heavenly Father, send down upon those
who hold office in this State (Commonwealth, City, County,
Town, ____________) the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice;
that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their
offices to promote the well-being of all people; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.

For an Election
Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our powers
and privileges: Guide the people of the United States (or of
this community) in the election of officials and representatives;
that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of
all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your
purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For those in the Armed Forces of our Country
Almighty God, we commend to your gracious care and
keeping all the men and women of our armed forces at home
and abroad. Defend them day by day with your heavenly
grace; strengthen them in their trials and temptations; give
them courage to face the perils which beset them; and grant
them a sense of your abiding presence wherever they may be;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Answering the Call of God

June 26, 2016, 9:30 a.m.

6th Sunday of Pentecost

Fr. Phil Eberhart

ANSWERING THE CALL

This morning I have to admit, my mind is on this evening!  An exciting and historic day for us here at REZ as we ordain two, Michael and Ethel, into their callings as priest and deacon.  Michael has been with us here for 5 years!  At a rehearsal yesterday he was talking about coming here and finding his home back in his Anglican upbringing.  He said to me, he remembered coming to me and telling me he wanted to be a priest... and I said, "VIOLA!!  And now your a priest!"  Only 5 years!

Seems like a long time when you're waiting.  Ethel felt her call to ordained ministry at an early age and so this evening will be the fulfillment of the dream of a lifetime!

I felt called into the ministry when I was 10, shortly after coming to Christ at my own bedside.  And "VIOLA!"  52 years later, I feel like I'm just beginning to plumb the depths of what it means to be "called to ministry" - or to "be a priest."

My point here this morning is that our scriptures this morning, the scriptures for the day are all about what is happening among us this day!  I'm floored once again at the providence of God and his oversight of His Word as it lives in our midst, even for us as a small group this morning.

Yesterday at a meeting of clergy and candidates with our Bishop, one of the newest candidates in our diocese, a man from Nigeria, simply introduced himself as David, a man who is "on Call!" to the Lord Jesus.  I will go wherever He sends me!  

We are all "on call!" to Jesus.

If we have given Him the place He deserves and demands in our lives, then we are "on call!"  

That is the force of our three REZ BE-ATTITUDES!

>   BE WILLING!

>   BE AVAILABLE!

>   BE OBEDIENT!

Jesus spends a good deal of time in his teaching trying to get across to his disciples the nature of this "call."

Our gospel this morning is one of the most pointed, filled with difficult meaning and challenge.  Jesus appears to be almost heartless in His responses to some of those who say they will follow Him:

"I will follow you wherever you go!"   Brave words coming from someone who knew nothing of where Jesus was going!  And so Jesus responds with a warning.  Sometimes we are like Peter, and we let our mouths run on without engaging our brain!  We are moved by sentiment and we don't understand the weight of the words we are saying!  Peter, on the evening of the last supper, told Jesus he would Never Leave Him... but we know how that turned out.

What Jesus is saying in his response here:  "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."  What Jesus is saying is that before you say things like "I will follow you wherever you go!" it is good to consider the facts of where Jesus is going!

"This world is not my home," the song goes, "I'm only passing through!"  Jesus followers who are doing what HE DID, almost always come face to face with this sense of "homelessness" in this World!  Jesus said to be a friend of this world, was to be an enemy of God!

Jesus said at another time that one who builds a house, considers all the costs of doing so.  One who builds a tower considers the costs.  One who goes to war, looks at the numbers he has and the numbers he is going up against!

This is why the first Be-attitude is BE WILLING!

Willingness is what happens after you have considered the sayings of Jesus from today's Gospel!

Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 

"Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

 "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."

Willingness is the quality of having counted the cost and said "yes!"  Willingness is understanding the nature of "call" from God, that it is

all consuming, like the sacrifice on the altar (living sacrifice) and that it is our "reasonable act of worship" in light of all that God has done

for us in Jesus Christ.  "In the light of His mercies."

The last two lines of our NT reading from Galatians speak to this very thing as well:  

And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

So once the flesh is crucified, as Paul said earlier in this same letter, "it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..."

And so willingness must issue in the second Be-Attitude:

BE AVAILABLE!

Availability is about the conversion of our calendar!  When the Roman soldiers came to Christ and were baptized, they would take

their sword with them into the river and hold it up, out of the water as they were baptized, reserving it from the water.

What have you reserved from the water of your baptism?  For some of us its our checkbook!  For most of us its our calendar!

Face it, we are busy in America!  We've got people to see and places to be!  We are important, at least in our own minds!

And as a result we are often negligent when it comes to both the relationship we have with God in Jesus Christ and when it comes to the mission, the call of God on our lives.  I'm talking to people who have voluntarily submitted their lives to Jesus, and answered His Call!  I don't have these expectations for those who have not made that decision!  Not at all.

Availability is our handing over our calendar -  has anyone here ever worn a pager?  Do you have a cell phone today?  I call it my "leash."

Whenever anyone wants my attention, they yank my leash!  Even for me, Availability to God is a challenge!!  As much of an oxymoron as that is, I am just as susceptible to my attention being diverted from what is important, by the "tyranny of the urgent!"

I appreciate the image I saw once in a book by Steven Covey.  Choosing what you fill your day with is like filling a jar with stones and water.  If you fill it with water first, that's all that it holds, but if you have important things that you need inside (the big rocks) you need to put them in first. Then the smaller stones - then the sand and then the water!  

Availability is the quality of having chosen, of having prioritized, which are the big stones!  "If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit".  Another translation speaks of "Keeping in step" with the Spirit in our lives.

And finally BE OBEDIENT!

Actually this is a decision that is made from the outset.  This the the finish line!  And we have to have the finish line in view, as we run the race!

Yesterday, as Bishop Bill spoke to the clergy and candidates for orders, he said that this quality of obedience was the prerequisite to "hearing God's voice!"  

So many time, I hear from people that God doesn't speak to them!  I can't hear God speak!  What are you talking about, "God told you!??"  Don't you think that sounds a little crazy?!!  

Probably, from the world's viewpoint - you're just hearing voices - funny farm stuff, right?

But for you to hear God's voice, there has to be a point of decision in your life, when you say to yourself, to your heart and mind, to your life and your circumstances, I want to live my life in relationship to the Lord of the Universe - to the Lord Jesus Christ.

You know what the meaning of LORD is right?    its...  LORD!  We Americans don't really have a construct for LORD in our worldview.  Perhaps Boss, or Employer or in the military, C.O.  The point is this is someone who has a measure of control over your day!  Control over your actions.  Control over your calendar and appointment book.  Paul uses the military as an analogy of the Kingdom, in fact, in writing to his disciple, Timothy:

[2Ti 2:3-4 NASB] 3 Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Friends, we must make the decision of obedience as a part of the process of becoming willing!  As a part of the exercise of our availability!  We must have the obedience of our hearts in view.  It is the finish line to which we run!

So once again the sermon is about what I have named The REZ BEATITUDES!

BE WILLING -  BE AVAILABLE - BE OBEDIENT

This is the essence of following God's Call, whether you are a man or woman on the street or a Bishop in the Cathedral!  Whether you stand at your own table in your home, or at the Table of the Lord in the Temple!  Its all of ONE PIECE!

BE WILLING - BE AVAILABLE - BE OBEDIENT

AMEN.

Let's pray. This is one of my favorite prayers for the church and we need to pray it often:

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone:
Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Easter 2 - "Seized by a great Hope!"

Easter 2

April 3, 2016

Fr. Phil Eberhart

"Seized by a Great Hope"

As I was considering the sermon for this morning, a quote came into my field of view in a post from our brother, Oakley.

A quote from our favorite theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer just shortly before he died in Flossenberg Prison:

"The liberating thing about Good Friday and Easter is that one's thoughts are swept far beyond one's own personal fate to the ultimate meaning of all life and suffering, and of whatever occurs, such that one is seized by a great hope."

Seized By A Great Hope!

That is the ultimate meaning and result of Easter.

I was captivated all week by the passage we just read from the book of Acts.  The disciples are transformed from the cowardly band of abandoners and deniers of Jesus Christ, into this fearless group of special forces commandos who quickly infiltrate the whole of society,  just as Jesus sent them to do - like "Leaven in the Lump of dough" or like light into the darkness.

Within weeks of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the disciples have experienced something that completely radicalized them!  That's not a good word today is it?  radicalized!  But in this case, the disciples were radicalized with and by the Good New - Jesus himself, his presence with them post-mortem!  And by his words spoken to them over three years together; by his example of humility and servant-leadership; by his cross and crown of thorns!  They were radicalized by LOVE and gripped by HOPE!

Remember our passage from last week?  1 Peter 1

Just v. 3: 
^"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,"

Born Again to a Living Hope -  Seized by a Great Hope !!

Now look with me at our Acts reading:

  The accusation just weeks after the Resurrection and Pentecost:  "You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching!" 

   The disciples response is an outline of our commission:

1.  It's basis:  We must obey God, rather then man! 

The good news is that the God of the Universe has come among us, has become one of us, and has in fact, opened a way back to a lost relationship with himself through an atoning death at the end of an exemplary, sinless life!  How can we ignore such a great salvation?  We cannot!  Therefore, we must obey God, not human authorities who would set themselves up against Him!

2.  It's ultimate end:   You are determined to bring this man's blood on us!

Precisely!  How prophetic of the ultimate aim of the Christian message and of the evangelization of the world!  ... to bring the blood of Christ ON the WHOLE WORLD!  Amen!  They had a clear understanding of the goal of the disciples and of Jesus Himself! 

3.  It's purveyors and perpetrators:   Peter and the other disciples...

The one who denied Christ is now the ring leader, his name mentioned, the others not.  Just remember the words to Mary at the tomb:  Go tell my disciples, AND PETER...  and remember the walk on the shore of Galilee -  Peter, do you love me?  Three times asked.  Three times affirmed.  Peter is the Rock.  What a change!  How do you account for the change?  Just take Peter only, never mind the others among the 12,

all but one of whom, including Peter, died martyr's deaths on account of this message.  How do you account for the change?

The Good News and Hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is best illustrated in the changed lives of His followers, from then to now!  I once was blind, but now I see!  What is YOUR story?  I once was _______,

but now I'm ____?_____.   How do you fill in the blanks?

Here is the Good News that Peter and the Disciples were telling:

4.  The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus...

This 'man' was the Son of God:   John 3:16!  God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son;

John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God!  v. 14 and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory...

5.   Whom you had killed by hanging Him on a tree!

This death on the cross was no mere mistake - it happened with the full foreknowledge and ordination of God - Jesus came for this purpose - to be a sacrifice of propitiation - the atoning sacrifice, once for all time.  Anything that lessens the impact of Jesus on the Cross, lessens the Gospel and Good News.  And it lessens our basis for Hope in the midst of our own suffering.  If we deny the Cross, we deny the meaning in our own suffering and trials.  But as we embrace the Cross of Jesus, we embrace His Work in our lives through our sufferings and trials.

6.  God exalted Him at His right hand as Leader and Savior...

The message of Jesus exaltation is in the forefront here!  He is the Leader - the word that Luke chooses here is one that was chosen by the writer to the Hebrews:  He is the AUTHOR of your salvation. Heb 12:3

He is the originator and forerunner of your faith!  Paul speaks of this exaltation on the heals of his Kenotic passage, we talked about that a few weeks ago.  Philippians 2:9-11

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

7.   That He might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."   Isn't that so true of all of us?  We know not what we do!  We go through life injuring and being injured by each other, because 'we know not what we do.'

But like our own legal system, which like it or not is based on the legal system of Moses the Lawgiver, "ignorance of the law is not an excuse!"  Anyone ever heard that from someone with a flashlight in your eyes."  I didn't know that was the speed limit!  Oh well! 

Part of the end game of Jesus - of his stated mission group - of His target audience in modern speak, was His own people, the Jews.  The chosen of God - God's holy people - the Kingdom of priests !  There is still agony today over the waywardness of God's Chosen People!  Our prayer is that he might give Israel repentance and forgiveness... and that they might accept it and Him!

8.   And we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit...

Do you remember Jesus words just before the Ascension?  In the upper room in Acts 1:8 ... But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses...  This is the Jerusalem phase of that promise!!  We are the "ends of the earth" phase of that promise!!  and Jesus is the same, "yesterday, today and forever!"  The promise is unchanging from beginning to end.  The commission is unfading and unfinished, my friends!

Jesus is still alive today, and as such is still the source of a Living HOPE that is able to take ahold of us in such a way that we are fearless in the face of ungodly opposition.  We must obey God rather than men.  Although increasingly, like the rest of the world, the Cost of Discipleship is coming to be a reality in America too, we are called to stand for the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ and his Authorship of our Salvation, and Leadership of our lives.

To quote again from Bonoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison:
"The liberating thing about Good Friday and Easter is that one's thoughts are swept far beyond one's own personal fate to the ultimate meaning of all life and suffering, and of whatever occurs, such that one is seized by a great hope."

May we be "seized by a great hope" these days ... a living hope that we have been born again into.  May we live in that hope in the face of trial or suffering, especially that which may come because we name the Name of Jesus Christ in our world and in our nation.

Shall we pray?

Lord our God, give us the faith, the courage, the HOPE that gripped the disciples of Jesus as a result of His resurrection - give us the hope that captured Professor Bonhoeffer as he awaited his fate in the prisons of Nazi Germany.  Give us a fearless boldness, like that You gave to your disciples when they prayed and the place was shaken.  Shake our land and use us, Lord Jesus Christ, as your witnesses to Hope - in the power of the Holy Spirit, and through the Name of your Holy Son Jesus, we pray it.

Amen and Amen!

Easter Sunday: A Living Hope!

Easter 2016

March 27, 2016

Fr. Philip Eberhart

A Living Hope!

Recently Valerie and I got to go to see RISEN.  How many of you have gone to see this movie.  It's still in theaters and I highly recommend it.

It is the story of a roman centurion who is placed in charge of finding the body of Jesus after the crucifixion.  His quest takes him further and further away from the many gods of the Roman pantheon and toward the God of the Hebrews, and to His perfect image and Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Two scenes in the movie are really amazing: 

the first is his interview with one of the soldiers who was present at the tomb, now pardoned and drunk in the back of a bar.  But in relating what happened at the tomb that morning, he suddenly becomes lucid, staring off into an experience that he cannot fathom.  "The stone flew away from the tomb like a leaf!"  "I was looking at a light - like the sun - shining from the tomb"  "...so bright I could not look at it."

the second scene, is when the centurion, bursts in on the hidden disciples and Jesus is there with them.  He recognizes Jesus from the cross and is stopped in his tracks. He drops his sword and edges over to the side of the room and slides down the wall to sit on the floor, a few feet from the Savior, who is showing his wounds to Thomas (and the centurion, by the way.)

One of my favorite verses in the NT is a verse that I used as a text on the day I preached my father's funeral:  It was the verse I was preparing for a sermon during the week he was in the hospital, unresponsive to either I or mom.  It is from First Peter 1:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Friends, 

the event we commemorate and celebrate today is more than just something that happened, a long time ago and far far away!  It more than the stuff of movies, though it certainly is that!
It is the stuff of life change!

If we fully grasp the significance of this day, the "weight of glory" that it holds for us who believe and indeed, for all persons; 

If we take ahold of its meaning for us and for others;

If we take the time to ponder the questions it poses to us, especially in our modern world:
                  Who is this Jesus?
                   What is the meaning of this death?
                   What happened to the body?
                   If Jesus rose from the dead, then what?

If we can simply conclude, as the centurion did, that ITS ALL TRUE,
THEN it changes everything!

It changes our whole life!  Our past, our future.  Our brokenness, our success!  Our loneliness, our relationships, our friendships, our companions.  Our eating, our drinking...  the bread and the wine.

It changes everything... if it's true.  But is it?

Have you come to the conclusion of your quest?  I presume if you are here this morning that you are at least on the quest!  The quest to find the answer to those questions for you.  To find the thing that changes everything about our existence on planet earth.  That explains it all and gives it meaning and purpose.

Peter calls it A LIVING HOPE!  Alive indeed!

Can you imagine the scene in the Upper Room that first night after that morning.  The news had come from the women, from Mary, who had been told to go tell "the disciples AND PETER."  Isn't it interesting that Peter was singled out by the Risen Jesus for the news.  Why?  Not because Jesus didn't consider him a disciple anymore, but because Peter himself probably didn't.  He was in the room, but can you imagine the shame - no leadership here anymore!  Just shame.  Along with the whole crew who abandoned their Lord in His time of need.

And suddenly Jesus is standing there.  Peter hears the corporate gasp of the other disciples and slowly turns to meet the Risen One, face to face. All the color - all the life flows from his body and he falls to his knees, his face buried in the robe of Jesus for shame.

Jesus reaches down and lifts him up with nail scarred hands. He lifts his shamed face to look into the face of His savior.  And he says,

What do you hear Jesus say to you?

We are all Peter!  We have all betrayed and abandoned him at times in our lives, from day to day.

What do you hear Jesus say?
"I told you so!"   "You're a sorry disciple!"   "Wha'd ya learn?"
None of the above.  What were Jesus' first words to the disciples?
"PEACE BE WITH YOU!"

Is there anyone here who would sign up for "Peace"?  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you. Not like the world gives, give I unto you.

We have been born anew into a LIVING HOPE.  A hope that is rooted in the empty tomb and the living Jesus, who encounters us, in our room or on the way.  The stories of the Resurrection and the encounters of Jesus with His disciples are our stories.

Last Sunday I asked you to find yourself in the story.  Have you?

Are you Peter, John, Mary? Thomas perhaps.  The disciples on the Emmaus Road? 
Have you found yourself?  More importantly have you seen Jesus?

Listen again to Peter's comments:

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, ⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Amen and Amen!

Hallelujah!  The Lord is Risen!
The Lord is Risen indeed!  Hallelujah!

Let us pray:
Lord Jesus Christ, on this day you have overcome death and the grave.  You have come back to life and brought us with you from the dead!  We who were dead in our sins, worship you.  We who doubted, believe.  We who walked with you without knowing Who you were, have our eyes opened. We hear you say, Peace be with you. 
We receive your Peace - the peace that comes in Your Presence. 
Help us to come fully to believe in You, Lord Jesus.  To have a Living Hope. to be Inheritors of the imperishable.  Make us truly yours, Lord Jesus.  Help us to see in your death, the grace for our whole life.  Restore us to fully walk with you in our day to day, listening to your voice, hearing your words, filled with love for you and for others, and obeying you in every way, because we love you, Risen Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.
In your Name and for the sake of Your Kingdom, we pray.
Amen.

Palm Sunday: "Let this mind also be in you, which was in Christ Jesus"

Passion Sunday/Palm Sunday

March 20, 2016

Fr. Phil Eberhart

"Let this same mind be in you, that was also in Christ Jesus"

After our march around the sanctuary / parking lot this morning and the reading we've just heard of the Passion Gospel, I want to just do a short meditation this morning, because for the most part, the ACTIONS of Holy Week, that we can all take part in, ARE THE SERMON!!

The power of liturgy and of these readings is in our identification with what was happening -- in our finding our part, our place, in the story.  Throughout this week I urge you to consider that question.  Where am I in this story ... His Story?

But this morning I want to help us find HIS STORY IN OUR MIDST.

If you have your bible turn with me to the book of Philippians, chapter 2.  Our reading this morning from this letter of Paul is perhaps one of the most ancient hymns of the church, set in prose, even in Paul's letter.  It is one of the most beautiful portrayals of Jesus self-giving, His humility and sacrifice that there is in all of Holy Scripture.

It is called by scholars the "KENOSIS" - the Self-emptying of God in Christ Jesus.

Look at your reading in your bulletin for a second:

The description of Jesus found here in three verses puts on display a kind of mindset and character that Paul wants the Philippians and US to emulate:

1.  "who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,"

      What is the mindset on display here?

       Unwillingness to grasp for position, power, prestige - unwilling to compare and compete!

       Jesus actually WAS GOD, not just in the form of God, YET there is the mindset, the 
          willingness to be abased.

         ... to be emptied of rank, of power, of position, of all that made Jesus appear to be God!

2.  "but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness."

      So for Jesus Christ it wasn't just a mindset, but it was an action. 
      He ACTUALLY EMPTIED HIMSELF.  God actually emptied Himself of His God-hood! 

One of my theology profs at ORU, brought an ant farm to class one day and asked us, "How can we make these ants know how much we love them?" At the end of the day, the answer was, "You have to become an ant!!"

3.  "And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death --even death on a cross."

      God, who cannot die, died!  And did so as an act of obedience to His own will! 
      Many of you know Fr. Mike Flynn.  Once when I was kneeling to receive communion
      from him, he handed me the bread and said, "This is the measure of God's Love for you
      and of your worth in His eyes!"

So what was Paul after when he quoted this song to the Philippian church? 
Well to find that out we need to look in our bibles.  Philippians 2: 1-4 hold the answer to that question:

[Phl 2:1-4 ESV] 1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Paul's word picture here is of a fellowship, a church, that displays the kind of mindset that Jesus had!  That is what he was after as he wrote this letter and quoted the song that was being sung at the time about the humility and self-emptying of Jesus Christ. Listen closely to these words...

    Encouragement ...   Comfort ...    Fellowship in the Spirit ...    Affection ...    sympathy/mercy.

    Be of the same mind ...  have the same love ... in full accord ... of one mind. 

Do you think there is a message here?

    Do NOTHING from selfish ambition or conceit.

    From humility - because of humility, --- count others as more significant than you are!

    look out for each other's interests, not just your own!

And then he says:  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus!

And so here is our story -- the place that we fit in the story of this week of the passion of Jesus!

We fit here in the Body of Christ - here in the midst of His People.  Among a people who have accepted the challenge to live life as Jesus lived life... to encounter and interact with one another on the basis of Jesus example, of "his mind."   Of His humility and selflessness.  Of His lack of striving for position and power.  Of his sacrifice and obedience.  Of his "alongside" encouragement!  Of His comfort that comes from unconditional love; Of being a participant and partaker in the move and power of His Spirit;  Of having the deep gut level compassion He had and holding out that same mercy to others that He gave us!

Does that sound like a church you would like to be a part of?

Does that sound like a church that might experience the same kind of "exaltation" that Jesus did? The kind where God is the one who exalts you, not you yourself!

How different from the world's system!!  How like ... um ... Jesus!

Let's pray!

This prayer comes from the verses Paul writes in the first chapter as he greets and prays for

the church:

8 ...God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  Amen!
[Phl 1:8-11 ESV]