Sermon
Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – December 27, 2020
Centenary United Methodist Church
Galatians
4:4-7; Luke 2:21-35 Luke's Gospel this morning mentions the first
person to recognize Jesus as the Savior of people all over the world.
This recognition took place at the Temple in Jerusalem where Mary and
Joseph took baby Jesus to experience the ceremony of purification.
This ceremony had to take place 40 days after Jesus' birth. Shortly after Mary and Joseph arrived, an elderly
prophet named Simeon noticed the baby.
He took the baby into his arms, looked into his eyes, and
immediately connected with the spirit inside of the child.
Apparently, Simeon believed that he had been promised by God that
he would live long enough to see Lord, you have kept your promise. Now, I may die in peace.
With my own eyes I have seen the process by which your salvation will be
accomplished, a salvation which you have prepared for all people.
You have given the world a light to reveal your will for the
Gentiles and to bring glory to the people of Israel. (Luke 2:29f)
As we
enter the New Year, this is an excellent time for us to revisit this
ancient insight. The process of salvation has to do with everyone
on this planet, not just a select group who refer to themselves as
Christians. Jesus came to save everyone by teaching them
how to stop sabotaging their lives by their thoughts and emotions.
While
various Christian groups struggle with each other over the truth,
we forget the basics of what Jesus taught.
In fact, rather than referring to what Jesus taught, we are more
likely to refer to what later Christians said about Jesus.
The Dutch theologian, Erasmus, recognized this when he wrote: Truly the yoke of Christ
would be sweet if petty human institutions added nothing more to what
he, himself taught. He
commanded people to do nothing more than love each other
unconditionally.
The
proof of our faithfulness is not found in our beliefs but in how we
behave toward one another.
Jesus
knew that love was within us because he believed that we were created in
the image of God. All that we needed to do was to allow our true
identity to show up in all of life's circumstances.
This reality is true for all humanity regardless of how
people cloister around their own religious beliefs.
An
illustration of this universal truth has come from the teachings
of a tribe of Native Americans.
One day a Cherokee Chief was teaching
his grandson one of life's universal lessons. As the two were
hiking around the rim of a lake, the wise chief spoke: A mighty struggle is going on inside of me every day. It is a
terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is filled
with anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, self-pity, guilt, resentment,
inferiority, deception, laziness, neediness, and arrogance.
The other wolf is filled with joy, peace, forgiveness, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, trust, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth,
compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you
and inside of everyone in every nation on the earth.
The grandson thought about this struggle for quite some time. Then he
broke his silence and asked, "Grandfather, which wolf will win the
struggle?" The Cherokee Chief turned toward his grandson, placed
his hands on his shoulders, looked at him squarely in his eyes and
answered, "The one you feed my grandson! The one that you
feed!"
The mistake that many Christians make is to believe that Jesus
saved believers by dying on the cross for their sins.
Believing in such a teaching is something Jesus never even
remotely mentioned during his ministry.
That teaching arrived from later believers who needed an
explanation for Jesus' death. Believers who became the followers of
the Way of Jesus, understood Jesus' death as the sacrificial lamb
who takes away the sins of the world. (John 1:29-30)
Jesus, indeed, does this for people by teaching them that it is
their responsibility to love one another with the same spirit he
used while on that cross.
Every choice reveals who lives inside of them. No one is cleansed by
Jesus' death on the cross unless they choose to forgive others
unconditionally in the same forgiving spirit that Jesus did for the
men who drove nails into his wrists and feet.
We often hear testimonies from people who are praising God for saving
them because they have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savoir.
Their words are empty if they do nothing more than talk. Some of
us may remember when two men went to the Temple to pray.
The one said:
I thank you God that I am not greedy, dishonest, or an adulterer like
everyone else. I thank you
that I am not like that tax collector who is standing some distance away
from me. I fast two days a week and give you one tenth of my income.
(Luke 18:11f)
With his head bowed in humility, the tax collector prayed, "God, forgive
me for I have missed the mark with my thoughts and feelings so many
times." (Luke 18:13)
As we listen to the spirit of this proud Pharisee and the humble tax
collector, we can hear the echo of the Cherokee Chief when he told his
grandson which wolf would win the struggle going on inside of him, "The
one you feed my grandson. The
one that you feed."
Simeon had other words to say to Joseph and Mary about their newborn
son: This child has been chosen by God for the destruction and the salvation
of many in Israel. He will be a sign from God which many people will
speak against and so will reveal their hidden thoughts.
Sorrow, like a sharp sword, will pierce you own heart.
(Luke 2:34f)
What was Simeon saying by using words like destruction and
salvation. Once again,
we are forced to look at our attitudes that will define the spirit by
which we live. Simeon was
saying that people have free will to be compassionate or judgmental
toward one another. The first choice is to reflect the qualities
found in the Kingdom of God. The second choice will define
someone who is anchored to matters in the physical world. A number of years ago there was a restaurant waitress who discovered that one of her customers had left an envelope on the table containing $3,300. She immediately took the money to the manager for safe keeping until someone reclaimed it. What made her story so remarkable was not only her honesty but the circumstances surrounding her life. The waitress was struggling financially. Her
son had a congenital heart defect requiring surgery the day after he was
born. The expensive procedure was not successful and the couple was told
that their son would not live much longer. To make matters worse, when
her husband asked to take time off from work for a couple of days to be
with his family, he was fired from his job. When the community learned about the honesty of
this woman coupled with the family's financial circumstances, her story
began to spread over the news networks. Eventually, ABC News had the
family appear on Good Morning, America. Money has continued to
pour in for the family ever since. The couple was referred to a surgeon
at Stanford University Medical Center in California who performed
another procedure on the couple's son that was successful. What was happening to the spirits of people when
they learned about this family? Was God rewarding the waitress for her
honesty? Some people think so. Yet, Jesus taught that the
Kingdom of God is within all of us. Our spirits can be
awakened, stimulated, or inspired when we learn that by extending the
love within us, we can brighten someone else's world. Charles Dickens understood this. It took the
three spirits from Christmas past, present, and future to awaken the
spirit within Ebenezer Scrooge. Such an understanding could not
have been stirred into waking up had his spirit not been there from the
beginning of Ebenezer's life. This universal truth within each of us is
what Jesus pointed to during his ministry. For many people this
universal truth is hidden from them and remains undeveloped. Jesus
understood this when he quoted the Prophet Isaiah. (Matthew 13:14) By letting go of $3,300, her honesty, and
unfortunate family difficulties, people everywhere were inspired to help
a son and his parents.
These were people who were perfect strangers that possessed attitudes,
beliefs, habits, and life styles that were miles apart.
Collectively, however, people sent more than enough money to
cover all of the young family's debts with a lot more money to spare. What part of these complete strangers was being
inspired? Simeon provided the
answer when he said, "With
my own eyes I have seen the process by which salvation will be
accomplished, a salvation which God has prepared for all people."
Everyone has the potential to awaken their spirit, even when their
compassion has remained dormant for many years.
Such love is within all of us. Now and then, something awakens us to
reverse the energy flow of our living from life being all about me
to being all about others. Suddenly, our world is a lot brighter because
we have brought hope and light to someone else.
In the New Year, we may have a new habit to develop.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER
Eternal and always
faithful God, we thank you for moments of anticipation coupled with
times of reflection. We can
dream about where we are going while recalling where we have been.
Throughout our journey, we have slowly discovered our meaning and
purpose. The New Year
always provides us with moments to change uncertainties into
opportunities. Please give
us the vision that will guide us to stretch by letting go of what cannot
serve our growth. As we
leave our guilt and regrets behind, help us to remember, O God, that it
is never too late to awaken to the reality of who we really are as your
sons and daughters. Amen. PASTORAL PRAYER
Loving and always
faithful God, how grateful we are that your signposts of guidance still
direct the paths of those of us who choose to remain attached to your
vine. Truly life is much different when perceived through trust
and faith in your abiding presence. During Christmas, we were reminded that you came
to us through a form we could understand. Your Son spoke in a
language and used symbols that helped humanity to understand that each
of us is related to you. The signposts during Lent remind us of the
value of restraint, of reflection, of meditation, and of remembering who
you called us to be. The signpost of Good Friday lifts up the
truth that we humans can radiate love's vast control over life while
facing very challenging circumstances. Easter gave us a pearl of
great price – the truth that our lives continue. Nothing in
our spirits can ever be threatened by the powers that have their
origins from our illusion-filled material world. As we face the coming New Year, we thank you for
the understanding that comes from learning from our mistakes. We
thank you for how our emotions and spirit can be drawn closer to you
when others forgive us, when others love us, when others call us
"friend," and when others glow around us because they enjoy being with
us. We thank you, God, for being exactly who you are and for
giving us the vision to experience your revelations when they come to
us. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, the Christ, who
taught us to say when we pray . . . |