Word of Life Church Podcast

The story the Bible wants to tell is the story of a good God who created a good world that went horribly wrong. Ever since, God has been at work setting right his good world gone wrong. His plan from Abraham through Jesus was to work through his people as King to make things right. King Jesus is changing the world in particular through the holiness of his people. How we live and how we love is the Jesus way of changing the world.

Once upon a time the trees decided to choose a king. First the trees said to the Olive Tree, "Be our king!" But Olive Tree refused, saying, "Should I quit producing my olive oil that blesses both God and people, just to wave back and forth over the trees?" Then they said to the Fig Tree, "You be our king!" But Fig Tree also refused, saying, "Should I quit producing my sweet fruit just to wave back and forth over the trees?" Then the trees said to the Grape Vine, "You be our king." But Grape Vine refused, saying, "Should I quit producing my wine that cheers both God and men, just to wave back and forth over the trees?" Then all the trees finally turned to Bramble Thornbush and said, "Be our king!" And Bramble Thornbush replied to the trees, "If you truly want to make me your king, come and put your trust in my shadow. But if not, let fire come out from me and devour the Cedars of Lebanon." (Judges 9:8-15)

When we are at critical crossroads in our lives and we are faced with two doors and we are unsure which way to go, the truth is there is not a “right” door in terms of the will of God, as if God is only behind one door. One of the surprising things about following Jesus is we discover God is behind every door. Even if we walk through the door bearing a sign saying: "Sin and Destruction," we can find the love of God there. There is no place where God is not.

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.

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.

"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.