Go Forth With Thanksgiving - November 23, 2014

Go Forth with Thanksgiving

Psalm 100, Luke 17:11-19

November 23, 2014

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

 

Giving Thanks  Last Sunday, I introduced our newlyweds, Cyndi and Jeff Lane. I had the honor of performing their wedding a few weeks ago on November 7th. Their honeymoon is over and they are now embarking upon their life together. But like all newlyweds, there is one obligation that had to be fulfilled - writing thank you notes for gifts and services received before, during and after the wedding.

And just last Sunday, twenty-three people gathered in my living room for a baby shower for my granddaughter, Holly, who is expecting my great-grandchild in about three weeks. As Holly opened each gift, my daughter was busily writing down the gift and the name of the giver. Why? So that Holly could write thank you notes to each of them.

But what if Cyndi and Jeff never wrote notes of thanks or even said thanks to anyone before, during or after the wedding? And what if my granddaughter, as she was opening her gifts, just looked over at her mother and said, “One baby blanket from Mary” or “One set of pajamas from Christine” but never said thanks to either Mary or Christine or anyone else who gave her gifts, yet who were sitting a few feet from her? If it were me, I’d be puzzled, hurt and perhaps even resentful. After all, I expected some expression of thanks and appreciation for the gift I gave her. But that didn’t happen. Cyndi and Jeff thanked everyone and so did my granddaughter.

As we approach Thanksgiving Day, I’d like to explore how each of us can be living thak you notes to God. As I do this, it is interesting to note that the words “thanksgiving” and “praise” come from the same Hebrew word, “yadah”.

Psalm 100  Let’s first look at Psalm 100. The hymn we just sang is based upon that psalm. The words of both the hymn and psalm express the following thoughts:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, worship the Lord with gladness and joy, remember that it is God who has made us. We are the flock that God feeds, and we will enter his gates and courts with thanksgiving and praise. God’s steadfast love and faithfulness endures for ever to all generations. What wonderful expressions of thanks!

Originally, as we know, all psalms were sung. This particular psalm was sung by worshipers as they approached the temple for worship. Singing these words of praise and thanksgiving helped prepare their hearts and minds to enter the sanctuary with thanksgiving and praise to God.

Why don’t we do the same thing here at Grace? Next Sunday, let’s all gather around the fountain at 10:30. Then as we start walking toward the sanctuary door, we’ll sing “Come ye thankful people come. Raise the song of harvest home. All is safely gathered in ere the winter storms begin. God, our Maker, doth provide for our wants to be supplied. Come to God’s own temple, come. Raise the song of harvest home.”

 We’ll continue singing as we find our seats. Not only would our hearts be filled with praise and thanks to God, think of what people driving by might think as they hear our many voices blended in glorious praise.

Well, maybe we won’t do that, but individually we can begin silently praising and thanking God for God’s steadfast love and mercy as we walk from the parking lot into the sanctuary.

The point is that because of God’s love and mercy, and because he gave his only begotten son to die for our sins, and because we look forward to the resurrection once our life on earth is finished, we respond both individually and corporately in resounding thanks and praise.

The Ten Lepers In our second scripture, we hear an incident of giving thanks to an individual - in this case, Jesus. The story is a familiar one. Jesus is approached by ten men who cry out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” In this case, mercy means heal us! The reason why they wanted to be healed is because they had leprosy and were the outcasts of society. In a way, they were the ebola victims of the day. As a result, they were isolated from the rest of people in the village. They were not allowed to comb their hair, and their clothes had to be torn to identify themselves to others as lepers. Whenever someone came near them, they were to cry, “Unclean! Unclean!” [see Leviticus 13] Thus it is no wonder that the ten lepers came to seek healing from Jesus. Jesus could give their lives back to them. Jesus could bring them back to their families and jobs. Jesus could give them back their dignity! And he did. He said, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” He said this because only the priests had the official authority to certify that a leper was clean again.

As the ten lepers started on their way to see the priests, they suddenly realized that they were clean. They looked at their hands, arms and legs and noticed that all the scabs were gone, all the sores were healed, and all the redness had disappeared. They were normal! They were healthy! How did they react to this miracle? Nine of them were so excited and thrilled about being clean once again that they began to run as fast as they could to find a priest to confirm and certify their cure. And no doubt, they then ran home to their families yelling, “Look! Look at me! I’m clean again!” And they never gave another thought to Jesus.

However, one of the ten lepers, seeing that he was clean, immediately began praising God, and returned to Jesus to thank him for what he had done. Jesus said, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

Our Reason for Giving Thanks  I dare say that none of us have had leprosy. But each of us is afflicted with another disease called sin. And Jesus died upon the Cross that we might be cleansed. Thus, we have just as good reasons as did the lepers for shouting out our thanks to God. But far too often we forget to turn back to God to offer our thanks. How can we become better at thanking God?

Worship   When we first walk in to the sanctuary on Sunday mornings, we can offer individual prayers of praise and thanksgiving. When we sing the Doxology or Gloria Patri, see them as expressions of thanks to God.  When we give our tithes and offerings, see them as thank offerings to God. When we sing hymns and greet each other with handshakes and hugs, we are saying thanks to God. At baptism and Holy Communion, we thank God for the New Covenant of salvation established through Jesus. At weddings, we give thanks for the love of a man and a woman. At funerals we thank God for the resurrection. When babies are born, we give thanks for the miracle of birth. Teaching church school, or serving as an officer, or singing in the choir no longer are sacrifices of time. Instead, they are ways of saying thanks to God.

Popcord Prayers  But what about during the Monday through Saturdays of our lives? Do we take God’s love, mercy, grace and forgiveness for granted and forget to give thanks for Jesus who saved us from the blight of sin? A few years ago, a lifeguard reported that of the 223 people he had rescued, only three had taken  the time to thank him for saving their lives.

Although each of us, I’m sure, would have been one of the three who thanked the life guard for saving our life, it is a fact that we live out our week days in the midst of blessings galore and never taking time to offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for food, shelter, clean water, and fresh air. You say you don’t have time? Then allow me to introduce you to popcorn prayers. Years ago, our church youth group went on a mission trip to Wheeling, West Virginia. I was walking with two young boys from the inner city through Oglebay Park outside Wheeling when we saw a gigantic rock standing alone in a clearing. One boy looked up at me and said, “Who made that rock?” I replied, “Why, God made that rock.” And the boy said, “Hurray for God!” Three simple words, offered sincerely and spontaneously, was this boy’s thank you note to God.

Each of us can become experts in popcorn prayers. How? Throughout the week we encounter or experience many things for which to be grateful. For instance, if we see a beautiful sunset, say “Hurray for God!” When we awaken from a good night’s sleep, “Hurray for God!” When we walk into our warm home, “Thank you, God!”

Go Forth When we leave our morning worship, I suggest that we go forth to make our lives living thank you notes to God by thanking God from whom all blessings flow and who loved us so much that he gave his only begotten son that we might live - both now and in the life to come.

And by reaching out to thank others. Think of those people who made a special impression on your life; parents who nurtured you, teachers who taught you, friends who encouraged you. Call or write a note telling them how much you appreciate them. Do it today when you get home. By so doing, you will transform your life into one of thanks-living and your life will become living and breathing thank you notes to God.  LET US PRAY

Luke 17:11-19 NRSV

 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.  Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?  Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"  Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

 

Psalm 100 NRSV

 

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

   Worship the Lord with gladness;

   come into his presence with singing.

 

Know that the Lord is God.

   It is he that made us, and we are his;

   we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

   and his courts with praise.

   Give thanks to him, bless his name.

 

For the Lord is good;

   his steadfast love endures for ever,

   and his faithfulness to all generations.

 

Go Forth With Love - November 16, 2014

Go Forth with Love

John 15:12-17

November 16, 2014

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

Charlie Brown A little girl telephones Charlie Brown and says, “Marcie and I are about to leave for camp, Chuck. We’re going to be swimming instructors.” Then Marcie gets on the phone and says, “We just called to say goodbye, Charles. We are going to miss you. We love you.” After the girls hang up, Charlie Brown stands by the phone grinning from ear to ear. A friend asks, “Who was that on the phone, Charlie Brown?” Charlie Brown replies, “I think it was a right number.” Yes, the mighty power of love engulfed Charlie Brown and filled him with great joy and well-being.

Go Forth With Love  Last week I suggested that we go forth into the worlds in which we live and work and play and worship with courage. This morning, I ask us to also go forth with love. In a way, courage and love go together. To love someone without reservation takes courage, and to let someone love you takes courage. And when I urge us to go forth with God’s love, I’m doing so with the knowledge that God loves each of us without reservations. God knows us completely, warts and all, and still loves us. So we go forth being loved and with the commandment to love.

Love Heals the Body Love is more than mere emotion. It is a power which can transform us, both outwardly and inwardly. This healing power is so great that it is nearly immeasurable. Dr. Karl Menninger of the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kansas believed that the most devastating emotional experience that a human being can have is to feel unloved. Why?

Because, as he said, “Love cures people, both the ones that give it and the ones that receive it.” The following true stories illustrate what he meant.

Puppy There was a doctor at a sanitarium who decided to try an experiment of love. There was a particularly affectionate puppy who had been hanging around the building. She made a small incision on the puppy’s leg and bandaged it. She then instructed people at the sanitarium to feed the puppy, but to show him no attention or affection. The effect on the puppy was dramatic. Instead of being frisky and affectionate, he grew quiet and quite forlorn. After six weeks had gone by the bandage was removed. The incision had not healed. Then the doctor instructed the staff to lavish attention, affection and love on the puppy. Soon he was not only frisky and energetic, the wound quickly healed.

Elderly Woman In a convalescent home, a volunteer aid was assigned to an elderly woman patient who had not spoken a single word in three years. The other aides disliked her and tried to avoid her whenever they could. The volunteer decided on a different approach. Since the elderly woman spent all day in a rocking chair, the aide pulled a rocking chair up next to the woman and began to rock with her. As she rocked, she showered the lady with unqualified love and affection. After the third day, the lady looked at the volunteer and said, “You’re so kind.” After two more weeks of being loved, the lady was well enough to return to her own home.

Elizabeth Barrett The story is told of the poet, Elizabeth Barrett who was an invalid for many years. She had reached the point where she was unable to lift her head form her pillow. However, one day Robert Browning visited her. He gave her so much joy that she lifted her head. On his second visit, she sat up in bed. And after the third visit, they eloped. [Rogers, Adrian, “God’s Way to Health, Wealth and Wisdom,” 1987]

Love Heals the Heart When one is immersed in the lifting power of love, it not only heals the body, it heals the heart. A minister once asked a rhetorical question to his congregation if they knew of anyone who was suffering. Although it was a rhetorical question, a little six year old girl raised her hand and said, “My daddy’s hurting inside but he won’t tell anyone.” She then hugged her father as tightly as she could. The father, by now quite embarrassed, said, “Stop it, honey! You’re hugging me to death.” “Oh no, daddy, “ she replied, “I’m hugging you to life.”

Hug Back to Life  What most people need more than anything else in the world is someone to hug them back to life when their spirits are down, someone to hold them until their fears go away, and someone to put their arms around them until their tears finally stop.

In this day and age, people are often fragmented and alienated from each other. People desperately need to know that somebody cares about them and loves them. John Nesbitt, in his book “Megatrends,” calls the age in which we live one that needs to provide both High Tech and High Touch. His thought is this. With increased technology comes the need for increased touching.

Love One Another Since love heals our bodies, souls and hearts, it’s no wonder that Jesus tells us in our gospel lesson this morning to love one another. This seems such a simple command. At first glance, his command to love appears to be no different from the love that compassionate non-Christians practice.  People of many different religions and even no religion at all know and appreciate the power of human love. However, what Jesus adds is that we should love one another as he has loved us! There's the difference!  

 

As Christ has loved us! Christ’s love, as we know, never ceases for any reason.  John wrote, "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) Jesus did that for us. Paul wrote, "God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) It is a love that loves us in spite of the times we turn our backs upon him. In spite of the times we deny even knowing him. In spite of the times we betray him.  

That's the way we are to love one another. Is it possible for us to do that? Apart from Christ, no.  But with the Spirit of the living God dwelling within us, yes!  And such a love as this will reveal to all people that we are his disciples. It is a love which is constant and consistent no matter what. As Kahlil Gibran wrote, "Love is the only flower that grows and blossoms without the aid of seasons." ( Broken wings, p. 44 )

Peter Marshall  in the book, A Man Called Peter , the story is told of the time when Peter Marshall asked Catherine Wood to marry him. She told Peter that she needed a few weeks to think and pray about it. Then one day when Catherine was riding in the car with Peter, she told him that she would accept his proposal of marriage. When Peter heard this joyful news, he immediately pulled off the road and stopped the car. He then bowed his head and offered a prayer of thanks to God. Only after doing this did he take Catherine in his arms.

Hard to love like this There are times when it is very difficult to allow God's love to flow through us to those who need loving. Why? Because it usually means paying a price. For instance, to apologize is an act of love and it costs us our pride. To forgive is an act of love and it means giving up resentments. To accept is an act of love and it means foregoing revenge. To care is an act of love and it means to sacrifice interests of self.

Not only can love be difficult to give, it doesn't necessarily take away all our problems. Instead it enables us to grow as we cope with the problems we do have. Love doesn't prevent us from sinning, but it enables us to receive forgiveness. Love doesn't eliminate rejection, but it makes us feel a whole lot better about ourselves.

Remember, love came to earth through the baby Jesus born in a manger. And for the three years of Jesus' ministry, that love reached out to teach, heal and create a church. It was a love transformed by the cross into a power which lifted us in victory over the power of sin. It was a love resurrected by God to lift us in victory over the power of death.   

Final thoughts Not only does God's love lift us up, the love we offer to the world round us creates the person we become. Houssaye wrote, "Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are."  Where our treasure is, there our heart is also.

Do you need to be lifted up this morning? Then allow God's love to touch your life right now.  

If you feel depressed, allow his divine love to touch you with hope. Then offer loving hope to someone who needs it.

If you are struggling with temptation, allow God’s love to touch you with strength. Then pass on God’s loving strength to someone who needs it.

If you brought anxieties with you, go to your home lifted up by God’s love and experience the countenance of God’s peace. Then offer God’s peace with love to someone who needs it

And if you came ridden with guilt, be lifted up and experience the cleansing of God's forgiveness. Then offer that forgiveness to someone who needs it.

During this coming week and in the year’s to come, go forth with love that God might lift you to the highest plane of living and loving from this moment on. Amen.

 

John 15:12-17 NRSV

‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

 

 

Go Forth With Courage - November 9, 2014

Go Forth With Courage

Joshua 1:1-9, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-14

November 9, 2014

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

 

Barney Fife I loved Barney Fife of the Andy Griffith show. In one episode, Barney catches a notorious criminal purely by accident. As the criminal is being led away by the state police, he turns to Barney and threatens him by saying, “I’ll get you for this, Deputy.” A short time later, the criminal escapes from custody and returns to Mayberry. People urge Barney to leave town until the criminal is found. And as Andy Taylor prepares to go find him and says to Barney, “You don’t have to go, you know.” Barney pauses a little bit, looks back at Andy, gives a nervous smile, and says, “Let’s go.”  And he ends up capturing the criminal a second time. Barney’s decision to go with Andy even though he was scared that he might be hurt or killed took courage.  And my prayer and wish for us all is to go forth into the future with courage.

Courage  Courage is such a wonderful word. It comes from an old French word “Coeur” meaning heart. It is an inward decision to keep running the race and staying the course no matter what might come. It carries with it connotations of bravery, mettle, valor, endurance, and tenacity. It means steadfastness and firmness of mind in the face of danger or extreme risk. Our nation’s Medal of Honor is awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. It takes great courage to carry out such acts of valor.

Cowardly Lion I think that each of us would hope that we would have courage when we needed it. However, there are sometimes when we feel like the Cowardly Lion who traveled to the Emerald Kingdom in order to obtain the gift of courage from the Wizard of Oz. His desire to be courageous is reflected in his song, “Life is sad, believe me Missy, when you're born to be a sissy without the vim and verve. But I could change my habits, nevermore be scared of rabbits If I only had the nerve.” Of course, without realizing it, he had courage all along.

Bible The role-call of people of courage in the Bible could include such people as Abraham, who left his home and walked into a new land with courage, or Moses, who returned to Egypt to free his people with Courage, or David who slew Goliath with courage.  Paul started new churches with courage.  Stephen witnessed up to the moment of his death with courage. The Reformers of the 1500's went against the flow with courage.  In all these cases, their source of courage and confidence was God.  They felt that if God be for them, who could be against them?  

Joshua An outstanding example of courage is found in our morning scripture from Joshua. Moses had led the people of Israel out of Egypt into freedom from Pharaoh. Moses had guided them for forty years through the Wilderness of Sinai until at last they arrived at the River Jordan.  They could see the Promised Land across the river. They were almost there! But then the unthinkable happened.  Moses died. Their leader, upon whom they had depended for forty years, no longer was with them. At this point, our scripture picks up the train of events.  God came to Joshua, Moses’ second in command, and said, “My servant Moses is dead.  Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites.” [Joshua 1:2]

 

Anxiety and Self Doubt I suggest that two reactions were going on at this point - first were the feelings of anxiety and inadequacy that Joshua no doubt had in taking over the daunting responsibilities of leading the people of Israel into a strange and hostile land. Could he lead as well as Moses? Would he make the right decisions? Would the people follow him? Could they really conquer the people that lived in the Promised Land?

Sorrow Second, were the feelings of sorrow the Israelites had as they mourned the death of Moses and the hesitation they may have felt in following Joshua, a person untested in leadership responsibilities, into a dangerous land.

The Rest of the Story After God told Joshua to lead the people into the land across the Jordan River, he no doubt sensed Joshua’s feeling of in adequacy and said, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.  Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua trusted God implicitly to do as he said. Such trust lead to courage.

Encourage One Another Not only do we get courage from God when we trust him, we also get courage from one another. We do this by encouraging each other to remain true and faithful to God’s Word. Paul writes to the Christians in Thessalonica, “Encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” [1 Thessalonians 5:11] Encourage means to inspire each other with hope and to fill them with a new spirit and resolve. Just as cheerleaders help the fans encourage their team, I charge you to be cheerleaders for each other. Encourage those who sorrow over the death of a loved one by comforting them. Encourage our youth to remain faithful to their Lord in the face of pressures to do otherwise. Encourage your Sunday School teachers by sending them cards of thanks.

Korea Sergeant A high school buddy of mine, Larry Ramsay, served as a Marine during the Korean War. He told me a great story of a Master Sergeant who began training a group of raw recruits. One of the young men named Wilson was, in my friend’s term, a “mama’s boy.” As a result, the rest of the recruits began to tease him, pick on him, and make his life miserable. Wilson’s sergeant happened to be the middle weight boxing champion of the Marine Corps. So he said, “Wilson, come with me!” He took Wilson to the gym, locked the doors, and put boxing gloves on Wilson. He then proceeded to teach Wilson to box. He did this every day for eight months until Wilson became a very skilled and strong boxer. About that time, someone picked on Wilson again and Wilson said, “Let’s take this to the gym.” Even though the man who made fun of him was fifty pounds heavier, Wilson proceeded to beat the daylights out of him and ended up knocking him out. Wilson then turned to the crowd that was watching and said, “Anyone else want to pick on me?” No one said a word. That sergeant gave Wilson the gift of courage.

Final Thoughts  But what of us who don’t fight in wars, who don’t box in rings, who don’t risk our lives in courageous newsworthy adventures? One author wrote, “Courage is required in almost every basic human activity. To allow oneself to love and commit to another takes immense courage. Separating from our parents to forge an independent life is a courageous act. To survive an abusive, traumatic or neglected childhood with some sense of dignity demonstrates tremendous courage. Just getting old demands courage. Changing jobs requires courage. Where does this courage come from? From inside ourselves with a little encouragement from our friends.”

Courage is letting go of your desire for revenge.

Courage is defending the rights of the oppressed.

Courage is freeing yourself from an addiction.

Courage is refusing to belittle, tease or make fun of another classmate.

Courage is doing and saying the right things no matter what. As it is said, “To see what is right and not to do it is a lack of courage.” [Confucius]

Courage is accepting change without panic.

So there you have it  We get courage by trusting God.  We keep that courage by knowing that God is always with us, no matter what. We display that courage by how we handle set backs, adversities and sorrows.

As we leave here this morning, I ask a simple, but important, question. “Who do you know that needs to be encouraged? Who needs to know that you are with them all the way? Who needs to know that they can make it, and that you’ll always be there to help them do it? In today’s jargon, who needs to know you’ve got their “back?” Who needs a phone call to hear you say that you love them?” When you get home today, make that visit, or make that call. For when you do, you will enable those persons to be fortified with a little more courage than they had before. As Emerson wrote, “What a new face courage puts on everything.” [Ralph Waldo Emerson]. So as we leave here to face the challenges life presents us, let us  remember to never be afraid to trust our unknown future to a known God.

 
Joshua 1:1-9  NRSV

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, "My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."  

1 Thessalonians 5:1-14 NRSV

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, ‘There is peace and security’, then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

 

 But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labour among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them.

Swords Into Plowshares - Nov. 2, 2014

Swords into Plowshares

The Sixth Commandment

Genesis 4:1-10, Matthew 5:21-26

November 2, 2014

Grace Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

 

How to Treat Siblings  A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor" your Father and Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?" Without hesitation the little boy answered, "Thou shall not kill."

The little boy was right, of course. The sixth commandment says that we should not kill our siblings no matter how much they irk us.  But the commandment extends to all humanity. It appears to be saying that we must not kill another human being, not ever, under any circumstances.  And in our hearts, we agree, for we know that there is nothing so horrendous than taking another human life. But is that really what God is saying? Over the years, the specific meaning of this commandment has been discussed and debated for hours on end. This is because as we apply this commandment to everyday life, we discover it is far more complicated than it appears at first glance. In fact, it doesn’t take us long to to come up with some pretty valid reasons to break this commandment.

For instance, we might say, “We must not kill, except in self-defense.” Or, “It is wrong to kill except during wartime.” Or, “We must not kill except in the case of terrorists who are threatening our lives.”

Even in the Bible, one can find statements which approve capital punishment, killing in self-defense and in war. Intermingled with this commandment are such legitimate concerns as suicide, abortion and euthanasia. Pro-life and pro-choice groups grapple each day with this commandment. Connected with such discussions are such issues as gun control, birth control, and sterilization.

In the Church  In the Church we hear many conflicting voices. Some oppose abortion, but approve capital punishment and war. Others feel abortion has a rightful place, yet say capital punishment is always wrong. In 1981, the General Assembly of our Church published a report entitled “The Nature and Value of Human Life.” It says that this commandment “commands both that we do no harm to human life and that we do all we can to protect it.” However, sometimes to protect life we must kill life. For instance, to protect the American people when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States went to war to kill and defeat the enemy. In another example, a high official of the Russian Orthodox church denounced the missiles of other countries because their use violated the commandment not to kill. However, he called his own country’s use of missiles a defense of human life and thus did not violate the sixth commandment. As we can see, the interpretation of “Thou shalt not kill” often depends upon where a person is standing in life.

Biblical Background Perhaps it would be helpful to look at this commandment in its original setting. First, it is set within the context of nine other commandments in which all of life is governed by God, not humans. Treating one another in love is vital to the life of a community. Second, the protection and sanctity of life is basic in the commandments concerning parents, adultery, stealing, false witness and coveting. Therefore, respect for all aspects of life is basic to the understanding of this commandment, aimed at protecting a person’s life against being killed by another human being.

Third, the Hebrew word used in this commandment for “kill” refers only to murder - the willful and premeditated killing of someone else out of hatred, desire for revenge, or greed. In our scripture from Genesis, we heard the story of Cain’s anger that Abel’s sacrifice was more favorable to God that was his. That anger with God became directed at his brother. Cain then plotted to kill his brother.

This is why Cain’s act of killing was considered contrary to the will of God. The act purposefully destroyed a life. One commentator noted, “All murder is killing but not all killing is murder. Murder involves killing unlawfully with premeditated malice. It involves a deliberate, planned, pre-mediated attack against a fellow human being for the purpose of taking his life for reasons that are purely sinful.” [Middletown Bible Church, Middletown, MA]

Calvin commented upon this commandment by saying that all humans are made in God’s image and therefore are our brothers and sisters. Thus any killing, he felt, resulted in the killing of one’s own flesh and blood, and became an assault against God.

Life Belongs to God The fundamental basis of this command is that all life belongs to God [Genesis 9:6]. God’s intention in creation was that no life be taken, and that it is not up to us to do with life as we please. When we take a life, we are acting in the place of God. Ultimately it is up to God to determine what shall be done with life. Our task is to discover God’s will.

Jesus Expands the Commandment How does this commandment affect our lives? After all, we aren’t guilty of murdering another human being as Cain did to Abel. Our hands are clean, are they not? Jesus answered this in his Sermon on the Mount when he said, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.“ [Matthew 5:21-22]

By saying this, Jesus expanded this commandment to prohibit unrighteous anger, insult and revenge. Such feelings are the fuel for both murder and for destroying relationships.

 

 

However, as we know, Jesus himself became angry on several different occasions. For instance,

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. They were cheating the poor. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" John 2:13-17

 

So we find that righteous anger aimed at injustices is proper and right for a Christian to express.

Proverbs put it this way, "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.” (Proverbs 22:24-25).

Yes, anger invites us to seek revenge. And anger can be dangerously contagious.

In his autobiography, ““Number 1””, Billy Martin, the well known manager of the Yankees in the 1970s, told about hunting in Texas with Mickey Mantle. Mickey said had a friend who would let them hunt on his ranch. When they reached the ranch, Mickey told Billy to wait in the car while he checked in with his friend. Mantle’s friend quickly gave them permission to hunt, but he asked Mickey a favor. He had a pet mule in the barn who was going blind, and he didn’t have the heart to put him out of his misery. He asked Mickey to shoot the mule for him. When Mickey came back to the car, he pretended to be angry. He scowled and slammed the door. Billy asked him what was wrong, and Mickey said his friend wouldn’t let them hunt. "I’m so mad at that guy," Mantle said, "I’m going out to his barn and shoot one of his mules!" Martin protested, "You can’’t do that!" But Mickey was adamant. "Just watch me!" he shouted. He then ran into the barn and shot the mule. As he was coming out of the barn, he heard two shots. He saw Martin standing by the fence facing a herd of cows. "What are you doing, Martin?" he yelled. Martin yelled back, face red with anger, "We’ll show that son of a gun! I just killed two of his cows!"

We each know feelings of anger and resentment, don’t we? The feeling that we hope all of our enemies would be removed from our lives in some fashion.

Children who feel unjustly treated by parents wish they were freed from their control. Some run away. Others become unruly. Employees who receive unfair treatment by bosses wish they would retire. Spouses find solutions to conflict by seeking divorce. Yes, whether we like it or not, there are many times when we want our adversaries out of our lives forever. We fantasize how life would be without them. We devise ways to exact revenge upon them for what they did to us. We take matters into our own hands. Included in this commandment are all forms of verbal and physical abuse for they are fueled by anger.

Jesus also gives us the positive side of this commandment when he says that we are to love and pray for our enemies. [Matthew 5:44]. We are to do everything in our power to protect and preserve life by doing only those things which maintain life.

The Promise This commandment has a goal that one day all people will live in such a way that killing of any kind will be obsolete. No need for self-defense, capital punishment or war. Guns no longer will be instruments of taking a human life. The electric chair and gas chamber will be relegated to museums. Micah captures the essence of this promise when he wrote that one day nations “will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.” [Micah 4:3]

Is this simply an impossible dream? By our own efforts, Yes. But with God, all things are possible for this is God’s dream for us. It is his chosen future for us. Our calling as Christians is to live as though that future is now with the family we have and in the world in which we live. As individuals we can do a great deal to transform relationships through forgiveness and reconciliation. We can choose not to act upon feelings of resentment. We can affirm the sanctity of life and the sanctity of relationships.

Of course this is not easy. There are times when there is no clear-cut choice. However, through a strong prayer relationship with God, guidance will come. And strength to exercise God’s will over one’s emotions will come. If ever swords are to become plowshares, we must allow the Spirit of God to direct our every word and act. Amen.

Genesis 4:1-10 NRSV

 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.

In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen; your brother’s

 

blood is crying out to me from the ground!
Matthew 5:21-26 NRSV

 

“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.