The Presbyterian Church of Hopedale Celebration Service - Sunday, August 30, 2020

Here's a copy of the bulletin and the podcast of the worship service I led in the Presbyterian Church of Hopedale, Ohio on Sunday, August 30, 2020.

Sunday's Message - We’re Number Two

Here's the message I offered during the celebration service in the Presbyterian Church of Hopedale, Hopedale, Ohio on Sunday, August 30.

Matthew 16:21-28, Contemporary English Version

From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, “I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.”

Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, “God would never let this happen to you, Lord!”

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Satan, get away from me! You’re in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God.”

Then Jesus said to his disciples:

If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me. If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul?

The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done. I promise you that some of those standing here will not die before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.

We’re Number Two

Now I’ve got to admit, I’m a little bummed today. You see, typically, on this particular Sunday morning I expect to be fat and sassy. As a matter of fact, from every pore in my body, I should literally be oozing college football. Every year, I look forward to this last weekend in August, because it represents the dawning of about four months of fatness and sassiness. I guess you could say that, right along with my wife, my daughter and oysters, I love college football.

Of course, as it is with almost everything else, this year is different. And even though I recognize that the NFL will be kicking off in a couple of weeks, I really prefer the college game, outside of the ridiculous way they handle overtime, but I digress. I love college football. But you know, it’s not just the game. It’s the whole environment. Now understand, when I lived in Indianapolis, I had Colt season tickets and so I enjoy what you could call the professional ambiance. But let’s get real, there’s nothing like college football. Good night nurse, the enthusiasm is off the charts. And with all those students crammed into a stadium, man, you might see or hear almost anything, with the exception of this. You’re not going to hear anyone chant, “We’re Number Two.” I can guarantee, those words you’ll never hear, because nobody in those stands wants to admit verbally that their team is anything other than number one. As they say, in football winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.

But you know, although no real fan wants to accept second place, I think that’s exactly what Jesus is telling us to do in the passage I just read. In other words, in this little story, I believe Jesus told this disciples then and tells his disciples right now that we should probably be offering a chant we’ll never hear at a Mountaineer or Buckeye game, “We’re number two.” And I’ll tell you, that’s going to be our focus this morning. And as we consider what he was saying to them and is saying to us, we’re going to answer three questions: first, with respect to Jesus, exactly where are we suppose to be; second, how do we get there; and third, why is that important for us to do. Now, that’s our game plan this morning.

Of course, the first question, well, I’ve pretty much answered it, haven’t I? With respect to Jesus, exactly where are we suppose to be? We’re suppose to be somewhere behind him, right? I mean, dah. But it’s not just me saying it, just remember what Matthew wrote: “From then on, Jesus began telling his disciples what would happen to him. He said, ‘I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.’ Peter took Jesus aside and told him to stop talking like that. He said, ‘God would never let this happen to you, Lord!’ Jesus turned to Peter and said, ‘Satan, get away from me! You’re in my way because you think like everyone else and not like God.’” [Matthew 16:21-23, CEV] Now that’s what happened.

And I’ve got to tell you, I don’t think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out why Peter did what he did and Jesus said what he said. I mean, to this point in the Gospel, it’s been pretty much peaches and cream, right? Jesus has been performing miracles and he’s been healing the sick and he’s been casting out demons right and left. His lessons have authority and his parables were engaging and his one sermon, you know, the one on the mount, wasn’t even boring. Jesus was a star. And Peter was certainly his right hand man. Good night, this had just happened: “Then Jesus asked them, ‘But who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus told him: Simon, son of Jonah, you are blessed! You didn’t discover this on your own. It was shown to you by my Father in heaven. So I will call you Peter, which means “a rock.” On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth. But he will not allow anything that you don’t allow.” [Matthew 16:15-19, CEV] I’m telling you, both Jesus and Peter were riding high; therefore, it’s really not surprising that, when Peter heard Jesus shift from talking about how great the Kingdom of Heaven was going to be to how he was going to suffer and die, naturally he felt the need to offer some good PR advice, and that’s exactly what he did. Of course, in doing that, he was not only tempting Jesus to veer from his purpose, Peter was also forgetting his place as a disciple. You see, disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, man, they don’t lead. And they don’t advise. And they don’t suggest. They simply follow, something that Peter had forgotten.

And you know, I think that’s something we forget ourselves from time to time. You see, sometimes I believe we think can take the Good News and make it better. I mean, what Jesus taught may be all well and good back in the day, but does that mean it can’t be improved? You see, we can make it more popular right now, by really hammering some commandments, while letting some others sort of slide. Just doing that will make it easier for folks to accept. And let’s get real, we all know that sacrifice doesn’t sell. For example, even though we’re running record deficits and the national debt is going up faster than any time in our history, who’s going to vote for a candidate who promises to raise our taxes and cut our services? I mean, dah. Now maybe raising and cutting them and you know who “they” are, now, that may be fine; but not us. You see, we like to be number one. But as it comes to Jesus, maybe we should be spending more time reading and praying and following than in making suggestions and offering advice and trying to lead. And so there you have it, question number one: with respect to Jesus, exactly where are we suppose to be? The answer: we’re number two, following him.

And you know, if that was the only question Jesus answered, I’m telling you, that would be nice to know information. But that’s not all he said. I mean, right after this little kerfuffle with Peter, this was what happened: “Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross and follow me.” [Matthew 16:24, CEV] Now that’s what he said, and I think that answers our second question: how do we get there? How do we get behind and start following Jesus? In other words, how can we put ourselves as number two.

And you know, if the stuff about how Jesus was going to suffer was bad, this business about how disciples are suppose to sacrifice, man, that’s even worse. In fact, for Jesus it all came down to three steps. One, it involves forgetting about ourselves: forgetting about what we want, what we have, what we think, and what we believe we deserve. It’s about putting all that “me,” “my” and “mine” stuff on the back burner. That’s one. And then, two, it means taking up our cross. And let me be clear about this cross business; in the first century, crosses represented a whole lot more than sassy kids, patterned baldness or having to wear a mask during a pandemic. For those disciples, a cross was the ultimate symbol of sacrifice, and I’m talking about life and death. And that’s exactly what we’re called to carry. And that leads to step number three, the following part, in other words, doing what Jesus did and being guided by what he taught. That’s how we get behind him.

And I’m going to be straight with you, doing that isn’t easy, but then why should it be. Remember, a little later in the story, when a guy asked how he might have eternal life and after he said he’d done everything the Law required, “Jesus replied, ‘If you want to be perfect, go sell everything you own! Give the money to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and be my follower.’ When the young man heard this, he was sad, because he was very rich.” [Matthew 19:21-22, CEV] Now that’s what I call turning from self. But of course, he wouldn’t say that to us, right? And as to following, what about this prophecy Jesus offered explaining how the Son of Man was going to judge the nations: “Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘My father has blessed you! Come and receive the kingdom that was prepared for you before the world was created. When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me, and when I was naked, you gave me clothes to wear. When I was sick, you took care of me, and when I was in jail, you visited me.’” [Matthew 25:34-36, CEV] Now that’s some heavy lifting and following, right? But of course, he wouldn’t hold the United States to those standards, right? You see, in what he says to those disciples, I think he answers question number two: how do we get there? And I’m talking about how do we put ourselves behind Jesus?

And so with one and two answered, all we have left is question number three: Why is it important for us? Just listen to what Jesus said. “If you want to save your life, you will destroy it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? What would you give to get back your soul? The Son of Man will soon come in the glory of his Father and with his angels to reward all people for what they have done.” [Matthew 16:25-27, CEV] Now that what he said.

And for those who heard him and those who still listen, well, I think there were two excellent reasons for following. I mean, on one hand, it determines what we do in the here and now. You see, if we’ve decided to do whatever it takes to save ourselves and the heck to everybody, man, we just may lose what’s most important. Of course, we may get a lot of stuff, you know, that kind of stuff that rust will eventually destroy and thieves break in and steal. In fact, we may get so much stuff we end up laying awake at night thinking about the bigger barns we’ll need to build in the future. Oh sure, stuff we’ll have. But understand the cost is high. I mean, to get all that stuff we may have to sacrifice a lot of our integrity and self-respect and self-esteem and frankly, some of our basic goodness and faith. But we’ll have plenty of stuff. You see, on one hand, the price may be pretty high in the short term.

On the other hand, though, it’s nothing like the price we may be paying in the future. I mean, remember that passage I just read about how Jesus praised those nations that fed the hungry and welcomed the strangers and cared for the sick. Well, he was just as harsh on those nations that didn’t. In fact, this was how the prophecy ended: “Then Jesus said, “Those people will be punished forever. But the ones who pleased God will have eternal life.” [Matthew 25:46, CEV] Now that’s what Jesus said. Of course, we also want to remember that, when talking about the rich young man I mentioned a little while ago, this was what happened: Jesus said to his disciples, “It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven! In fact, it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to get into God’s kingdom.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly surprised and asked, “How can anyone ever be saved?” Jesus looked straight at them and said, “There are some things that people cannot do, but God can do anything.” [Matthew 19:23-26, CEV] You see, salvation is a gift, not a wage. Still, for my own peace of mind, I’d much rather be with the ones who can look at their lives and be confident of having eternal life than those whom Jesus said will be punished forever. And that’s really the answer to question number three, why is following Jesus important for us?


Now remember how I said that I was bummed this morning. Well, bummed isn’t as bad as crushed. You see, at 9:00 last evening, on ESPN, I watched Austin Peay play Central Arkansas in the Cramton Bowl. What do they say; any port in a storm? I think I’m still a little damp, but I did get my college football fix. And even though I can’t prove it, I seriously doubt that any of those 2,000 Governor or the Bear fans were chanting, “We’re number two,” even after Austin Peay scored on their play or Central Arkansas pulled it out at the end. Real fans just don’t do that. And yet that’s probably what we should be saying when we leave here this morning. You see, when you get right down to it, with respect to Jesus Christ, that’s exactly where we should be. And we can get there by shifting our focus from self to God and others. And we should probably do it because it’s going to make a difference in what we do right now and how we end up viewing our future. And now this we know. But we can save the chanting until we get home.

The First Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction Celebration Service - Sunday, June 21, 2020

Here's the podcast of the worship service I led in the First Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, Ohio on Sunday, June 21, 2020. Although there were a few people in the sanctuary, this service was streamed online. 

Sunday's Message - Good News, Bad News

Here's the message I offered during the celebration service in the First Presbyterian Church of Mingo Junction, Ohio on Sunday, June 21.

Since it’s Father’s Day, I started the service with a Dad joke. Now just in case you don’t know what that is, let me tell you. It’s a sophisticated, insightful, extremely funny observation that’s loved and appreciated by everyone, except for one small group: those who aren’t fathers. In a nutshell, that’s a Dad Joke, and I’ve got to tell you, I love them. In fact, every morning, at around 6:00, as I’m walking our little dog, I leave A Joke from Dad on Instagram.

And you know, as I’ve explored the genera, I’ve found that some of the best ones focus on a person giving some good news and some bad news. For example, a doctor says to his patient, “I’ve got good news and bad news.” The patient says, “What’s the bad news?” The doctor says, “Because of your condition you’ll have to live on a very strict diet. No chocolate or sweets, no fried stuff, no coffee, no meat, no bread, no fruits, no vegetables, no salt, no spices, no milk and no milk products. In fact, you can eat only unflavored rice cakes. And you’ll have to keep this diet for the rest of your life.” After hearing this, the patient says, “That’s awful! What’s the good news?” And the doctor says, “Because of your condition, you’ll only need to do it for about a month.” Pretty good, right? And how about this, a dad comes up to his son and says, “Son, I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I just found a present I forgot to give you last Christmas. The bad is that it was a puppy.” Now that’s the kind of joke I’m talking about, and I’ll tell you, what makes them funny is that you have news that’s both good and bad. The two kind of go together.

But you know, I think this good and bad going together is something a lot of folks sort of miss when they think about the Christian life and specifically being a disciple. You see, it seems to me that a whole bunch of believers fall into two groups. They either focus on stuff that’s almost all good, or they dwell on stuff that’s almost all bad. Let me explain.

For example, I think you could call a lot of Christians super optimistic about following Jesus. In other words, they seem to assume that once you believe in Christ, your life right now immediately becomes great. Now I think we see this perspective in a lot of Christian-themed movies and hear it in virtually every testimony. See if this rings any bells. A guy says, “Before I became a Christian my life was horrible. I was stuck in a dead-end job. My marriage was on the rocks. And my kids were running amuck. But since I accepted Jesus, I got a promotion, my marriage is great and my kids appreciate all my Dad Jokes.” Do you see what I mean? After coming to Christ, life is all good, right? That is, until all of a sudden it’s not, because as we’ve all learned from COVID-19, the coronavirus doesn’t care if you’re a Christian or not, and let’s get real, neither do disasters and depression and death. As they say, into every life a little rain must fall. And because of that, the reality of living can really blind-side you, if all you expect are rainbows and flowers. You see, life in the world we’ve got and not the world we want can offer a pretty rude awakening for those super optimistic believers. Now that’s one group.

But I’ll tell you, I think there are just as many, if not more Christians on the other end of the spectrum, you know what I mean, folks who seem hyper-pessimistic. For example, they’re the ones who’ll tell you in a heart beat how bad the world is right now and how worse it’s getting each and every day. In fact, it’s gotten so bad, that any day now, Jesus is going to return and God’s going to tear the whole mess down. You see, for them, we are now in the last days. And while we wait for the end, maybe the best thing we can do is sort of hunker down and read the signs and leave our bunkers only to point out another reason why our world is going to Hell in a handbasket. Now that’s what they expect and so that’s what they look for. And as a guy told me years ago, a pessimist is never disappointed. And neither are they. And so there you have it, some disciples of Jesus Christ who expect only the good while others who expect only the bad.

But you know, I don’t think that’s how Jesus saw it at all. As a matter of fact, in the passage we’re going to talk about this morning, I believe he’s very realist about what his followers should expect out there in the world. In fact, in what he said, there was a remarkable balance of the good and the bad. And I’ll tell you, I think this is something we need to remember, as we go about living our lives. And like I said, it’s something we can find right here in the tenth chapter of Matthew.

But before we look at what he actually said, I believe it’s important to understand that, in this part of the gospel, Jesus was talking to the Twelve Apostles right before he sent them out to “...announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here” and to “heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy, and force out demons.” [Matthew 10:7b-8a, CEV] Now that was going to be their job. And to prepare them for doing it, Jesus was extremely honest and open about what they  should expect, both the bad and the good. And you know, when we listen and accept that this applies to us too, I think it can shape both the assumptions that we carry and the work that we do. Let me show you what I’m talking about.

For example, when he told his disciples what they should expect as they were doing their job, man, Jesus described a pretty harsh world. Just listen to what Jesus said: “I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places. Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith. But when someone arrests you, don’t worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say. Brothers and sisters will betray one another and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed. Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you remain faithful until the end, you will be saved. When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you that before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come. Disciples are not better than their teacher, and slaves are not better than their master. It is enough for disciples to be like their teacher and for slaves to be like their master. If people call the head of the family Satan, what will they say about the rest of the family?” [Matthew 10:16-25, CEV] Now that’s what he said.

And given this, I think you’d have to delusional to assume that, as the camp song says, a disciple can expect to be “inright, outright, upright, downright, happy all the time.” No, sir, Jesus knew that wasn’t going to happen, not in the world 2,000 years ago, and trust me, it’s not going to happen today either. Some things just don’t change. And so, if we want do the work we’ve been called to do, and I’m talking about announcing through the words we say but more importantly, through the lives we live in this real world, we really need to be realistic about what we face. In other words, we may need to take off the rose colored glasses and recognize that it’s no longer valid to take a “Field of Dreams” kind of approach to doing ministry, “if we build it, they will come.” Instead, we may need to toughen ourselves up, something I think the Apostle Paul was talking about when he wrote this to the Ephesians: “Be ready! Let the truth be like a belt around your waist, and let God’s justice protect you like armor. Your desire to tell the good news about peace should be like shoes on your feet. Let your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Let God’s saving power be like a helmet, and for a sword use God’s message that comes from the Spirit.” [Ephesians 6:14-17, CEV] You see, since the world on the other side of the stained glass is a challenging, maybe even a hostile place, we need to be tough. We also need to be clear and intentional about the message we’re sharing, even if that means learning a language which the folks out there can understand and speaking to issues with which they can identify. Man, we can’t assume they’re going to come to us; we need to go to them. And when we do, not everybody is going to accept us or our message. In other words, we’re going to need a thick skin. As Jesus said a little bit later in chapter ten, “Don’t think that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came to bring trouble, not peace. I came to turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. Your worst enemies will be in your own family. If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples. And unless you are willing to take up your cross and come with me, you are not fit to be my disciples. If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.” [Matthew 10:34-39, CEV] I’m telling you, Jesus didn’t hold any punches in describing the harsh reality of our world. And since that’s the only world we’ve got, that’s bad news for anybody expecting painless discipleship. And you know, if that was it, I mean, if that was all Jesus said, I believe we’ve got every reason to become card-carrying pessimists.

But of course, that’s not all there is, not in what Jesus said to his disciples and not in what he promises to us. I mean, right after telling them to be “wise as snakes and as innocent as doves” and right before saying that he “came to bring trouble, not peace,” this was what Jesus said: “Don’t be afraid of anyone! Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. Whatever I say to you in the dark, you must tell in the light. And you must announce from the housetops whatever I have whispered to you. Don’t be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell. Aren’t two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. Even the hairs on your head are counted. So don’t be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows. If you tell others that you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you are my followers. But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven that you don’t belong to me.” [Matthew 10:26-33, CEV] Now that’s something else he said.

And I’ll tell you why that’s important, at least to me. Just like we need to be realistic about the world we have, we also need to be clear about the nature of the God we serve. You see, regardless of how bad things appear to be, we never need to worry. Why? Because God is always with us and he’s going to empower us to do the work we’ve been called to do. You know, it’s just like Jesus said in his very last words he said to the disciples: “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.” [Matthew 28:18b-20, CEV] I’m telling you, he came to be Emmanuel, God with us, and that’s exactly who he was and who he is right now. And for that reason, we can step forward with confidence but not because it’s going to be easy, rather because we’re not doing it alone. In fact, it’s like Paul wrote to the Romans, “What can we say about all this? If God is on our side, can anyone be against us? God did not keep back his own Son, but he gave him for us. If God did this, won’t he freely give us everything else? ...In everything we have won more than a victory because of Christ who loves us. I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love—not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord!” [Romans 8:31-32, 37-39, CEV] I’ll tell you, this is the one we follow. And because of that, this isn’t just good news; it’s the Good News.

A little while ago, I started this message with a “good news, bad news” Dad Joke. And remember, we said that one of reasons these jokes are funny is that both the good and the bad are mentioned. And I’ll tell you, I think the same is true of our lives as Christian disciples. You see, even though a lot of believers tend to be either super-optimistic or hyper-pessimistic, neither reflects what Jesus taught his apostles right before he sent them out. And brothers and sisters, it’s not what he says to us either. You see, he warns us about the harsh reality of the only world that we’ve got but he also tells us about the loving nature of the God whom we serve. In other words, in presenting what we can expect as disciples of Christ, Jesus was honest about both the good news and the bad news. And as we go about sharing and living the gospel, that my friends is no joke.

A New Devotion - What To Do

Here's a new devotion that I wrote. You can find a recording of this devotion at the bottom of the page.

Matthew 28:16-20

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

What To Do

I think this pandemic has thrown a curve at all of us. At the very least, our daily routine has been disrupted. For example, my daughter should be going to school every day, finishing out her senior year. But instead, she’s home, doing some academic work on her computer, sleeping late and watching a lot of YouTube. And my wife is champing at the bit to get back to her pre-school students, something she can’t do right. And to fill her time, she’s pulling out, cleaning and rearranging everything we own. And me, well, I’m doing the best I can to stay out the way of both my wife and daughter, until they need my help to do something very specific. Of course, that’s what we’re doing right now. If this social isolating continues, we’ll have to find other things to fill our days.

But you know, I don’t think our current situation changes Jesus’s call to us as Christians. I mean, we’re still expected to make disciples through both our words and our work. Now, at the present time, that’s going to demand that we do this in different ways. In fact, just going out into the world is challenging when we’re told to stay in. But sharing the gospel to others, well that’s still possible and so is showing compassion and kindness to others. You see, whether it’s through posting on FaceBook, sending cards or picking up a phone, we can demonstrate what discipleship is all about. And I’ll tell you, regardless of how long things continue to be the way they are right now, this is exactly what we can do.