Making It Personal

I have this thing about the use of modern media. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I am obviously using it to write this blog, but I much, much prefer to speak to someone face to face and have someone do the same for me. That's why, I suppose, I have always had such a hard time with sermons that are read. I do NOT want my pastor to read his sermon. I can do that without his help if he would but put it up on the church's website for example or send me a written copy of what he wants to say. What I do want is for him to look me and the rest of his congregation directly in the eye and talk to us as a personal representative of our Lord Jesus.

I have this understanding—is it so strange?—that pastors are called by the LORD Jesus to be His spokesmen. Through them the LORD speaks His Word, warning us about disobeying God's commands, but also speaking about God's mercy offered to us from Jesus' cross. I don't want an essay about this Good Word. I want a face-to-face, person-to-person conversation. That's my view of what a sermon should be. It's the way I've always attempted to preach, both when I served a congregation and now when I'm invited to be a guest preacher. Is it so strange?

The writer of this book we're studying, this Letter to the Hebrews, resorted to the written word. It was all he had in those days. The letter came to be seen as a letter from God Himself and over these next two millennia has been re-copied countless times. Who the original author was no one knows for certain. The letter does mention one of the Apostle Paul's proteges, Timothy—assuming this was the same Timothy to whom Paul wrote (1 & 2 Timothy).

You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. - Hbr 13:23 ESV

It is impossible to know to what incident this refers. Released from where and by whom? We simply do not know. Does this mean that Paul wrote this letter? We don't know that either.  Luther believed Apollos wrote the book (Acts 18:24). He was both eloquent and competent in the OT Scriptures. The letter must have been written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The author is very concerned about the Old Covenant being superseded by the New in Christ and would surely not have ignored Jerusalem's and Jerusalem's temple's destruction by the Roman General Titus and his army.

All that aside the author is concerned that we know in these last days—the period we now live in—God has spoken and continues to speak to us by his son.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. - Hbr 1:1-2 ESV

In the days before Christ, God spoke to His prophets and through them to His people. He spoke to

• Moses by a burning bush (Exod. 3:1-22). He was to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt to freedom in the promised land. 
• Elijah by still, small voice after he fled from the anger of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1-21)
• Isaiah by heavenly vision (Isa. 6:1-13). The people would not listen and would be sent into exile.  
• Hosea by family crisis. He was commanded to marry Gomer, a whore (Hos. 1:2).
• Amos by basket of summer fruit. The end has come upon Israel (Amos 8:1).

The letter emphasizes that God still speaks to us through these ancient prophecies. God uses the written Word as His medium to this day. But He now speaks in a clearer and purer manner in His Son. All the writings of the OT pointed to Christ. He is the fulfiller and completion of all that the prophets heard and proclaimed. As we work through the letter to the Hebrews we'll learn more about this wonder. We shall learn about that to which the Apostle John wrote, the Word of Life. 

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us-- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. - 1Jo 1:1-3 ESV 

This is personal to each one of us. I only wish I could say this to you face-to-face. I trust that if you have a pastor he will do what I cannot through this media. I trust that he will help you to know more and more about the fact that Jesus is now God speaking to you face-to-face and person-to-person. 

Watch Out For Wolves

For a pastor who no longer serves in full-time parish work, I have a fairly busy preaching schedule from now through Christmas. I'm filling Sunday pulpits twice and midweek Advent pulpits three times. Not that I'm complaining. Those who know me, also know that I consider opportunities to proclaim God's Word from the pulpit to be a great privilege.

But what shall I proclaim? In answer to that I have considered what I would have left to say if I did not believe in the God-inspired authority of Holy Scriptures and their witness to the coming of the long awaited Messiah in the person of the man Jesus from Nazareth. If I believed that these are only myths, legends and stories created by prophets and priests of the ancient past for a variety of reasons, what could I proclaim? If I didn't accept the testimony of the Bible that Jesus is God's Son, the Covenant God of the Old Testament come to us in flesh and blood what could I say? If I did not accept the prophecies that foretold the place and circumstances of Jesus' birth and the manner of His death hundreds of years before it happened, what would be my message?

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I suppose I could say that there seems to be a universal Spirit at work behind the events of the universe and that this all-encompassing Spirit is benevolent, even though it often appears he/she/it is not. Whether this Spirit is personally involved in these events has always been a subject of debate. 

However, we know that men and women of all ages and places have longed to know that things will work out in the long run. And that, my fellow travelers through space and time, is what I have discovered through my meditation upon the stories and legends these earlier peoples created. They didn't have the sophistication and science we have in our day. They were limited in their understanding and vision. So they used these stories to express their dreams and hopes. Thus we have evolved to the present. 

People like Jesus of Nazareth and his followers taught us to look beyond our petty disagreements and believe that through the process of creative dialogue we too can come together to new understandings of the mysteries of this universe—which may be but one of many universes. And even though we personally pass out of existence, the memories of our struggles and the contributions of our lives will live on. And that, we can be certain, will give hope and comfort to our children and their children. 

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Wow! If you ever heard me proclaim from the pulpit such utter drivel, please bring a few stones to throw at me. Drag me by the collar and throw me headlong out the front door. As my body bounces off the pavement, shout that you never want to hear from nor see me ever again.

Thanks be to God, we preachers have a real message. Know with utter certainty that in the fullness of time, God sent forth His Son to redeem all of us who are under judgment because of our sins. This Son is Jesus of Nazareth, born of a woman, born under the law, to free those of us who are condemned to death. Celebrate again with me the events of His coming at Christmas and look forward with me to His promised return. When He comes again He will raise up our mortal bodies and give us immortality and life in the new heavens and new earth He has prepared for those who love Him. I know this to be of absolute certainty, because He Himself rose from the dead and now lives and reigns forever.

If you hear anything other than this from your neighborhood pulpit, run for your life, because a wolf is chasing you. He may appear to be a sheep or even a shepherd, but he or she is a wolf nevertheless and your eternal destiny is in extreme danger.