Sermons for The Journey “Seeing Jesus In Dr. King’s Face”Rev. Bill Freeman (Delivered without manuscript or notes at The Journey, 1/20/08) The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). — John 1:29-42 Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” — Psalm 40:7-8 When I was 8 years old back in 1963, living in a suburb of Grand Rapids, a friend and I walked about 3 miles to the Kent County Airport, which was being built at that time. Today it’s called the Gerald R. Ford International Airport. I was 8 years old, we walked 3 miles, including across 28th Street. Now 28th Street back then wasn’t what it is today, but still, when my daughter was 8 years old, there’s no way I would’ve let her walk 3 miles to anyplace, let alone across 28th Street. Ah, back in 1963, those were the good old days. Or were they? Billy Joel sings a song I like. The song is called, “Keeping The Faith.” Billy Joel sings, “The Good Old Days weren’t always good.” And they really weren’t. Maybe 1963 was good if you were an 8-year-old white kid. But if you were black and living in the south, you were still drinking out of separate drinking fountains; you probably couldn’t vote; and if you were black and in the north, you saw people fleeing your city so they could, in many cases, not live near black people. So when exactly were the Good Old Days? John the Baptist sees Jesus coming towards him. John says, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” John says that he has seen the Spirit of God descend upon Jesus like a dove. John says Jesus is the Son of God. Two of John’s disciples must’ve said to themselves: What the heck are we following John for? If Jesus is the Son of God, let’s go follow him. So they do. One of those disciples is Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew tells his brother, “We have found the Messiah.” So Simon Peter meets Jesus. Jesus says to him: You are Simon; you are to be called Cephas, or Peter, the Rock. This story is in the Gospel of John. The John who wrote the Gospel of John is not John the Baptist. John is different from the other three gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels. They tell many of the same stories; usually in the same way. John is very different from the other three gospels. John has no parables. John is a lot more spiritual than the other three gospels. John is a lot more adamant that Jesus is the Son of God. In the other gospels Jesus often refers to himself as the Son of Man, or the Son of Adam. Christians see the divinity of Jesus foretold in the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Psalms we read, “I delight to do your will, O my God.” Now that’s believed to be David writing a song of thanksgiving to God and in part about himself. But that also sounds like Jesus. And it also sounds like somebody else, from more modern times. They say you always remember where you were when you heard that President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember where I was when I heard that President Kennedy was assassinated. I also remember where I was when I heard that Dr. King was assassinated. I was living outside Detroit. I was watching TV. Dan Rather came on. He said Dr. King had been shot and killed in Memphis. It was April 4, 1968. Since then I’ve learned that Dr. King had made a prophetic prediction about his own death the night before. It was in his, “I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech. Dr. King said he’s been to the mountaintop. Dr. King said he looked over and he saw the Promised Land. Dr. King said he might not get there, but we as a people will get to the Promised Land. And then he ended by saying, “And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” He was killed the next day. Dr. King was a follower of Jesus, but Mahatma Gandhi also inspired him; he inspired his peaceful protests. Gandhi said once, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Dr. King was certainly the change he wanted to see in the world. He took his first church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was elected President of the NAACP in Montgomery. It’s 1955. A secretary in the NAACP office in Montgomery is someone you’ve probably heard of. Her name was Rosa Parks. She refused one day to give up her seat to a white person and sit in the back of a public bus in Montgomery. She was arrested. That led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for months. Rosa Parks and Dr. King eventually won that fight. As you know, Dr. King led many marches in the south to end segregation and discrimination, which led to passage of the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Right Act of the mid 1960s. In preparation for this sermon I watched again Dr. King’s, “I Have A Dream” speech. It always inspires me. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”…I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today…when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” We’re not all free yet, but that is one magnificent dream. I’ve heard people say they see God in the face of Jesus. Okay. I can go along with that. But what did Jesus look like? Hollywood often makes Jesus look like Brad Pitt, or some blond-haired, blue-eyed star. But Jesus was Jewish and a rabbi, not a California surfer. How many rabbis do you know who look like Brad Pitt? Jackie Mason was a rabbi for three years, just like his father and his three brothers. Then he quit to become a comedian. I’ll bet Jesus looked a lot more like Comedian Jackie Mason than he looked like Brad Pitt. But when I try to imagine what Jesus looked like, I think of Dr. King. Just like people I know who say they see God in the face of Jesus, I believe I see Jesus in the face of Dr. King. Some people don’t believe Jesus existed. Some people don’t believe Jesus marched into Jerusalem. Some people don’t believe Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Some people don’t believe Jesus was killed because of what he stood for. I believe Jesus existed, because I know Dr. King existed. I believe Jesus marched into Jerusalem, because I know Dr. King marched into Washington. I believe Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, because I know Dr. King preached I Have A Dream. I believe Jesus was killed because of what he stood for, because I know Dr. King was killed because of what he stood for. Now don’t get me wrong. My faith in Jesus is not predicated on my knowledge of Dr. King. That little 8-year-old boy back in 1963 didn’t even know at that time that Dr. King existed, but he believed in Jesus, because every Sunday in church he sang, “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” As a child, my faith in Jesus was not predicated on my knowledge of Dr. King. As an adult, my faith in Jesus is fortified, solidified, and strengthened by my knowledge of Dr. King. John said of Jesus, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” I believe you can say of Dr. King: Here is the Lamb of God who tried to take away the sin of racism in America. Let us pray — Dear God: On this Martin Luther King Day weekend, we give thanks for Dr. King. May we always remember what Dr. King lived for, worked for, and died for. We pray that Dr. King’s dream will one day become a reality. Amen. |
|||
_____________________________________ “The Rain Of God” Rev. Bill Freeman (Delivered without manuscript or notes at The Journey, 1/13/08) Ascribe to God, O heavenly beings, ascribe to God glory and strength. Ascribe to God the glory of God’s name; worship God in holy splendor. The voice of God is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, God, over mighty waters. The voice of God is powerful; the voice of God is full of majesty. The voice of God breaks the cedars; God breaks the cedars of Lebanon. God makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox. The voice of God flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of God shakes the wilderness; God shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of God causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!” God sits enthroned over the flood; God sits enthroned as king forever. May God give strength to God’s people! May God bless God’s people with peace! — Psalm 29 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” — Matthew 3:13-17 I was volunteering the other day at the Community Kitchen and they were serving a Bill Knapp’s cake. Somebody wondered if Bill Knapp’s restaurants were still around. I said that I’d heard the restaurants had shut down and now they just make cakes. Somebody else said they’d heard that, too. Believe it or not, talking about Bill Knapp’s got me thinking about my Grandma. Back when my Grandma was still alive, many years ago, she and her best friend, my Grandma’s name was Edna and her best friend’s name was Ella, so Edna and Ella would go to church together every Sunday and then after church they would go to Bill Knapp’s for Sunday dinner. And I think my Grandma would always order the bean soup. That was their Sunday ritual. The Church has Sunday rituals. In the Protestant Church a couple of those Sunday rituals are called sacraments. One is Communion, which we’ll take part in later. The other is Baptism. I always thought John the Baptist had invented baptism. At the first church I interned at we were talking in a staff meeting about an upcoming baptism and I asked: Where did baptism come from? The Senior Minister said, “That’s a good question. Go look it up.” So I looked in a religious encyclopedia. I hate to break it to Mel Gibson, but it said: Baptism was a Jewish ritual for new converts to Judaism or for Jewish people who wanted to make themselves spiritually clean. That shouldn’t take anything away from Christian baptism; Christians have borrowed rituals and traditions from other religions before. I just always thought that John the Baptist had invented baptism. There’s a little restaurant in Grand Rapids called the Choo Choo Grill. On the wall of the restaurant is a sign that says something like: We serve only recycled water. When a customer looks at that sign kind of quizzically, the owner says, “Well it’s true; all water is recycled when you think about it.” Of course, it’s not something you really want to think about too much when you’re eating and drinking. I suppose when I baptize people I use recycled water. After I’d been at my seminary a year or two, they put a round rock in the chapel. The rock has a hole through the middle of it. When they turn on a pump, water flows through the rock and cascades over the rock. They do that to remind people of their baptism. Catholics do something similar. Usually as you walk into a Catholic Church, there’s a basin of water, Holy Water, and people dip their fingers in it and do a sign of the cross. It reminds them of their baptism. It’s like the song, “I Wish It Would Rain,” by the Temptations. The Temptations sing, “Oh how I wish that it would rain: Ooh baby, let it rain, let it rain.” The singer wants it to rain because his girl has left him for somebody else and the raindrops will hide his teardrops. I don’t necessarily wish it would rain, but when it does rain it sometimes reminds me of my baptism. Some of you may know that I was baptized later in life. When I was a kid my family went to a church that didn’t believe in infant baptism. Then when I got older I got away from the church, and was never baptized. Long story short, I wasn’t baptized until my second year of seminary. I was taking a class on the sacraments, communion and baptism, and I said to the pastor at the church I was interning at: I’ve never been baptized; I guess I should be baptized before I graduate from seminary. He said: Well, duh! So I was baptized a week or two later. I think I was the only person who’d ever attended Western Theological Seminary who’d never been baptized before he started taking classes. And I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I was finally baptized. I was kind of hoping that when I was baptized the heavens would open up, and the Spirit of God would descend upon me like a dove; and a voice from heaven would say: This is my Child, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased. But that didn’t happen. Or did it? Jesus came from Galilee to the River Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. John sees him coming and says: You come to me? I should be coming to you to be baptized. Jesus says: Don’t worry about it. Let’s do this to fulfill all righteousness. So John baptized Jesus. As Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened up, and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descend upon him like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Many Christians see Jesus’ baptism as the beginning of his ministry. The seminary I went to was fairly traditional, a traditional Christian seminary. I’m thankful for that, because it gave me the traditional Christian view of theological issues. Traditional Christianity looked at the stories of Jesus’ baptism as a way of making a theological point: That Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah, the Christ. Traditional Christianity sees baptism as a way of washing away our sins, although that’s not why Jesus was baptized, since Jesus never sinned, according to Traditional Christianity. Traditional Christianity, for the most part, says people can’t get into heaven without being baptized. The Journey is a member of the Center for Progressive Christianity. We’re listed on their website. This church is a member of the Center for Progressive Christianity because Progressive Christianity gives us a little different view of Christianity than Traditional Christianity: a broader view, a postmodern view, a view that welcomes the latest Biblical scholarship. Progressive Christianity looks at the stories of Jesus’ baptism as being somewhat apologetic for Jesus being baptized by John. Progressive Christianity considers the possibility that Jesus was baptized by John because at first Jesus might have been a disciple of John. Progressive Christianity would not see baptism as a way of washing away sins. Progressive Christianity would not see baptism as necessary for eternal life. Progressive Christianity would see baptism as a way of, as I say when I baptize people: wading into the community of faith and diving into the glory of heaven. Progressive Christianity would not see what happened to Jesus in his baptism as unique to Jesus, but as something that happens to each of us when we’re baptized. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Psalm 29, verse 11, we read, “May God give strength to God’s people! May God bless God’s people with peace.” I think baptism is intended to give spiritual strength to God’s people. I think baptism is a way of symbolizing that God blesses God’s people with peace. Many Christians find that hard to believe, that God blesses people. They see God as wanting to annihilate God’s people, for supposedly not being holy. Are people not holy? Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel was a wonderful man, a great soul. One of my seminary profs said Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel helped him find his faith again. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said once, “Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.” Baptism doesn’t make us holy. It reminds us that we are holy, that we are a blessing, that we are God’s children. I was in my office one day at the first church I pastored and a woman came in to see me. She was the mother of 3 children, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, and a 6-year-old. She told me when her 4-year-old was born, there were some complications; they didn’t think he was going to make it. She went to see her clergy person and wondered if he would baptize her son. He told her she hadn’t attended church enough and she hadn’t given enough money to the church. He said to show up at church more and put more money in the plate and then they’d talk about baptizing her son. She was horrified. I was horrified with her. She was crying. She never did go back to that church. Thankfully her son survived. With tears in her eyes, she asked me if I would baptize her son. I said I would be honored to baptize her son. I did so a week or two later. When I baptize someone, whether they’re a child or an adult, I say: I baptize you in the name of the Father, who is a Mother to us all; I baptize you in the name of the Son, who is a brother to us all; I baptize you in the name of the Holy Spirit, who is a connection to us all. Then I say: I believe I see the heavens opening. I believe I see the Spirit of God descending upon you like a dove. I believe I hear a voice from heaven saying, “This is my Child, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” I think I’ve told you this part of the story before, after I baptized that 4-year-old, he would wake up his parents every Sunday morning and say, “Come on, get up, we have to go to church, we have to go see Pastor Bill, I am a Child of God.” Baptism gives the church the chance to tell you that you are a Child of God, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased. Baptism gives the church the chance to remind you that you are a Child of God, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased. Baptism gives the church the chance to remind itself that you are a Child of God, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased. Regardless of how often you attend church, regardless of how much money you give to church: You are a Child of God, the Beloved, with whom God is well pleased. Let us pray — Dear God: We give thanks for baptism. May baptism remind us that we are holy, as everyone is holy. We pray that we remember that the water from heaven, the rain of God, falls on all of us, cleanses all of us, refreshes all of us, now and forevermore. Amen. _____________________________________ “Have You Had An Epiphany Lately?” Bill Freeman (Delivered without manuscript or notes at The Journey, 1/6/08) Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord. — Isaiah 60:1-6 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. — Matthew 2:1-12 I like words and the definitions of words. I was listening to the radio the other day and Alanis Morissette’s song, “Ironic,” was on. Alanis Morissette sings, “Isn’t it ironic? It’s like rain on your wedding day.” And I thought, no, that’s not ironic. Rain on your wedding day is bad, but it’s only ironic if you’re a TV weatherperson and it rains on your wedding day. I don’t want to pick on Alanis Morissette, it’s just that I like words and the definitions of words. I want to talk with you today about the word Epiphany. Epiphany has at least two definitions. One, Epiphany is the Christian celebration of the Magi’s recognition of the divine nature of the baby Jesus; today is Epiphany Sunday. The Magi recognized that Jesus is an Epiphany. The Magi recognized that Jesus is a part of God. The Magi recognized that Jesus is the Son of God. The Magi recognized that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Two, epiphany is an intuitive insight into a profound truth; sometimes it’s called an Aha moment. Have you had an epiphany lately? I remember having an epiphany as a kid. I had a handful of M&Ms in the middle of summer. I held on to those M&Ms for quite a while. Then I ate them and I looked at my hand and my hand was all different colors. I thought: That’s not right, their advertising says, “Melts in your mouth not in your hand.” Then I remembered the few words before that, “The milk chocolate melts in your mouth not in your hand.” Right then and there I had an epiphany about advertisements: They’re tricky. I’ve had several epiphanies since we started The Journey. One of them is: When we began I thought people would come to The Journey because of my “brilliant” sermons. Then I realized: People come to The Journey for the community, the friendships, the family of faith that’s forming. So much for my “brilliant” sermons. I imagine that Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney, and Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee, had some very different epiphanies after the Iowa Caucuses the other night. I imagine Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney had an epiphany that went something like: I guess I’m not the inevitable nominee of my pasty. I imagine Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee had an epiphany that went something like: Hey I just might win this thing. Of course, it’s a long way from Iowa to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I imagine there will be many more epiphanies along the way. Epiphany is all about seeing the truth, whether it’s the truth of today or the truth of 2,000 years ago. Mahatma Gandhi, the Hindu Holy man, was all about looking for and seeing the truth. Gandhi said once, “I am not at all concerned with appearing to be consistent. In my pursuit after Truth I have discarded many ideas and learnt many new things.” That’s what epiphany is all about. It’s all about pursuing Truth, discarding ideas that aren’t true and learning many new ideas. Can you imagine the epiphanies that Jesus must’ve had? I think the Beatitudes are one big epiphany. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “ One epiphany after another. Perhaps Jesus didn’t so much come up with epiphanies as he was an epiphany: a divine being, an intuitive insight into a profound truth, an Aha moment. Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of God has risen upon you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of God. Even though the prophet Isaiah is describing Jerusalem, Christians see and hear in this passage a prophesy of the birth of Jesus, the coming of the Savior, which is Christ the Lord. In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, wise men, kings, Magi, came from the East. They stopped in Jerusalem asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” King Herod eventually told them Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. So they set out, following the wandering star. It stopped over a house in Bethlehem. They were filled with joy. They went in and saw Jesus with his mother Mary. They knelt down and paid him homage. They gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This is part of the familiar Christmas story in the Gospel of Matthew. The Magi, the wise men, the three kings from the East, have an Epiphany, they see a divine presence in Jesus. Christians believe that Jesus is an Epiphany. Christians believe that Jesus is human but is also part of God. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Christians believe that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. I’ve never seen the movie, “A Few Good Men.” I’ve seen bits and pieces of it. But I have seen the famous quote from that movie. You probably have, too. It’s when Jack Nicholson says to Tom Cruise, “You can’t handle the truth!” It’s not always easy handling the truth. It’s not always easy recognizing the truth. It’s not always easy believing the truth. When I was in seminary, we had a big discussion in class one day, wondering where Jesus’ body is. The professor said it’s got to be out there someplace, according to the Bible, so, where is it, where is the body of Christ? I listened to the discussion for a while, then I sheepishly raised my hand, “Doesn’t the Bible say that we’re the body of Christ?” I want to talk to you now about us being the body of Christ, because I had an epiphany in regard to these passages this past week and the idea that we are the body of Christ. I invite you to share in this epiphany. Every human being is an Epiphany. Every human being is a part of God. Every human being is the daughter or son of God. Every human being is Emmanuel, God with us. Your neighbor is an Epiphany. Your neighbor is a part of God. Your neighbor is a daughter or son of God. Your neighbor is Emmanuel, God with us. You are an Epiphany. You are a part of God. You are a daughter or son of God. You are Emmanuel, God with us. Let us live in 2008 with the Epiphany that you, your neighbor, and every human being is a divine presence. Let us pray — Dear God: We give thanks for Epiphany Sunday. We give thanks for epiphanies. May we recognize that each one of us is a divine presence. We pray that everyone will recognize that each one of us is divine presence, now and forevermore. Amen. |
|||