Word of Life Church Podcast

The Life of A Great Sinner was to be the title of Fyodor Dostoevsky's sequal to The Brothers Karamazov – a book that was never completed. In this sermon "The Life of A Great Sinner" is the story of Zacchaeus – the short tax collector who climbed a tree so he could see Jesus, the "wee little man" of the Sunday School song. But describing Zacchaeus as a "wee little man" is probably misleading. Romans weren't looking for "wee little" bureaucrats to collect their taxes, but enforcer types. Zacchaeus was more like "Sammy the Bull" Gravano – the short of stature mafia boss. This is the story of Zak the Bull...and his encounter with Jesus.

The American church should spend the next one hundred years emphasizing two things: Contemplation and Transformation. One of the most serious maladies infecting Western/American Christianity is that we’ve made Christianity non-contemplative (reactive) and transactional. Our reputation for deep anger and shallow religion are symptoms of this. To move away from industrialized soul care to artistic soul care is a major paradigm shift. It requires re-calibrating how we fundamentally think about our engagement with God. Instead of thinking in terms of transaction, we need to think in terms of transformation.

"I woke up this morning looking for someone to blame. Someone to hate. Someone who I could make the single target for my fear about the officers killed in Dallas and for what happened to Alton Sterling and Philando Castile. It was such a desperate feeling to want to discharge the uncertainty and scarcity. Then it dawned on me that this is the exact drive that fueled what’s happening right now. Instead of feeling hurt we act out our hurt. Rather than acknowledging our pain, we inflict it on others. Neither hate nor blame will lead to the justice and peace that we all want—it will only move us further apart. We can’t forget that hate and blame are seductive. Anger is easier than grief. Blame is easier than real accountability. When we choose instant relief in the form of rage, we are in many ways choosing permanent grief for the entire world." –Brené Brown

Jesus, we sit with you in lament for the land.We lament the long history of injustice that has been upon this land.We weep for the Native Americans who were killed and driven from their land.We weep for the African slaves who were sold and suffered in this land.We weep for Native Americans who continue to suffer injustice in this land.We weep for African Americans who continue to suffer injustice in this land.We weep for the families of black men who have been unjustly killed.We weep for the families of police officers slain while keeping the peace.We weep for our children growing up in this violent land.But while we weep, lament, and repent…We do not give in to despair.We look to God, for our hope is in God.The psalmist said, “The meek shall inherit the land.”Jesus, you said, “The meek shall inherit the earth.”Lord, teach us to be meek and trusting, not greedy and clutching.Jesus, you blessed those who hunger and thirst for justice.We have a deep ache in the pit of our belly;We have a searing thirst deep in our soul—For this wounded land to see justice and be healed.But we don’t know exactly what to do—So Jesus, we sit with you.We sit with you so we might see the deep truth—That God is love…And there is no them, there is only us.Amen.

Jacob wrestled with God and became Israel—the God wrestler. In time Israel became the name for the people of God. The people of God are not those who have God all figured out or have learned to use God; the people of God are those who wrestle with God.

As we get closer to July 4th, people often ask: Is it OK to be patriotic? Can I be a Christian and a Patriot? Can I celebrate national holidays like the fourth of July? Answering questions like these require a clear definition of patriotism. If by patriotism you mean pride of place and love of people in that place, then yes, it's OK to be a patriotic. But...it is easy for patriotism to turn into nationalism whereby we elevate our love for country over our love for Jesus, which creates all sorts of problems in our faith life. Jesus calls us to a life of discipleship where we put him first and everything else becomes a distant second.

The land of the Gerasenes is opposite Capernaum on the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Though it’s only eight miles away by boat, it really was a world away from Capernaum -- the land of the Gerasenes was a land of Gentiles. So when Jesus said, "let’s go over to the other side," he was saying, "let’s go to 'them.'" (If we’re going to learn to love the other, we’re going to have to get to know them.) The city of the Gerasenes was Kursi. In the city of Kursi there lived a man whose had lost the battle with his demons....but that was about to change.

Let’s try to evaluate the church in the context of beauty and ask some fearless questions.Instead of contributing to the hateful rhetoric of our ugly age, could the church be a shelter from the storm?Instead of a furrowed brow of disapproval, a clenched fist of anger, a wagging finger of condemnation, could the church present to the world a compassionate countenance of grace?Instead of being sucked into the destructive dualism of reactive people, could the church become a contemplative people seeking to hold all things together in the reconciling love of Christ?Instead of ratcheting up culture war polemics, could the church speak the first words of the risen Christ, “peace be with you”?

As a child Prince Mephibosheth was let down by a loved one; as a result he was crippled, living on the edge of hell. Have you ever been let down by a loved one and the episode left its mark on you? Have you ever been hurt by those who were supposed to help you? Do you limp through life, suffering from old wounds, feeling like you're going through hell? This is Mephibosheth. But it's not the end of the story...

Power as defined as the need to be in control, and to be able to control others, belongs to that part of the world Jesus wants to save us from. We are all addicted to power and we don't even know it. This kind of power is challenged by the gospel. Jesus takes away the sin of power through powerlessness, leaving for us an example to follow. Jesus says those who lose their life will save it. When we experience this kind of powerlessness, we are empowered to become fully healed, fully human, and fully alive.