#Blessed

---

#Blessed
Series: Called - Part 3
Matthew 5:1-12

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 Matthew 5:3 (NRSV)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

Craig J. Sefa

#Blessed

0:00 / 0:00

Download

___________________

Blessings are tricky things.  We live in a culture where #Blessed is more about feeling lucky or fortunate in various circumstances ranging from a miraculous medical recovery all the way down to getting the latest pair of designer shoes.  It’s so commonplace it has almost become a joke, or at the very least a form of false humility when we really want to boast about something but publicly attribute it to some external blessing, presumably given to us by God.

The Beatitudes turn this idea of blessings on its head. 

Why? 

Precisely because those who Jesus calls blessed are the last people who would ever post #Blessed on their social media feed.  Consider the following contemporary framing of those Jesus calls blessed: 

• "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

  • Empty yourself and become humble, then receive a share in the responsibility for God's kingdom.

• "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."

  • Out of care for God's world, mourn for the suffering of others and you will find comfort for your suffering.

• "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."

  • When you are comforted, become comforting to those who are suffering in your midst and you will inherit a share responsibility with God for those who are suffering.

• "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."

  • When you inherit responsibility for those who suffer, you recognize when suffering is unjust. You will not be satisfied with what is unrighteous in the world until righteousness wins and God satisfies you with it.

• "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy."

  • In being filled with righteousness and meekness, you will temper your zeal for righteousness with mercy, and in turn will be shown mercy.

• "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God."

  • When you receive mercy, your heart will be made pure and free from judgment and selfish intent, then you will experience the true nature of God.

• "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God."

  • When you experience the true nature of God, you will have peace and will share it with the world, then you will be called a child of God.

• "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

  • When you are called a child of God, you can withstand all manner of pressures to swerve from the path of righteousness, you will experience beatitude.

When we consider the many ways we feel “blessed,” how do they compare with the way Jesus sees those who are truly “blessed”? 

__________

(source: The Beatitudes: An Eight-Fold Path - https://tcpc.ipbhost.com/topic/3644-the-beatitudes-an-eight-fold-path/)

Follow Me

---

Follow Me
Series: Called - Part 2
Matthew 4:12-25

“Come, follow me,” he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” Right away, they left their nets and followed him.

Matthew 4:19-20 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

Craig J. Sefa

Follow Me

0:00 / 0:00

Download

___________________

Whose job is it to make disciples?  The prophets?  The preachers?  The Sunday School Teachers?

We are quick to read between the lines in Mark 1 and Matthew 4 as Simon, Andrew, James and John leave their nets and follow Jesus like a group of children who have nothing better to do than join in a playground game of follow-the-leader.  We struggle to find ways to excuse ourselves from such unreasonable demands.  We have jobs and mortgages and kids and aging parents and pets.  We have responsibilities that in our minds, are far more crucial than the lowly fishing business these early disciples walked out on.  What exactly does it look like to “Come and follow Jesus,” in our day?  The story is so brief it hardly does justice to the level of sacrifice these “ordinary fishermen” truly made.  If we’re truly honest, most of us tend to think it was a much easier decision for them than for us.

There are much larger implications, however, when we consider the timing of this call.  “After John was arrested…” (Mark 1:14, Matthew 4:12).

John was the prophet of the day.  John was the mouthpiece of God.  John was the first person in nearly 400 years to hold such a crucial religious position.  No one alive at the time had ever heard the voice of God so directly and neither had their parents, grandparents or even great-grandparents.  “Prepare the way of the Lord,” he declared, and then he is arrested.

Jesus picks up right where John leaves off, except he is not just another prophet.  He is something much more.  He is the very presence of God in the flesh.  And what’s more, God is not hanging out in the synagogues or even with the prophet’s followers in the wilderness.  He is hanging out in the marketplace around the Sea of Galilee.  He is eating and drinking and laughing with the tax collectors, the occupying Roman soldiers, the sick and the lame, the women and the children, and yes, even the lowly hard working fishermen. 

“I’ll show you how to be fishers of people,” he says (Mark 1:17). 

The nature of following Jesus and being “fishers of people” looks different for everyone.  Some may leave everything behind and others are needed to proclaim the Good News right where they are.  Regardless of what shape our call takes or where Jesus leads, the point is that Jesus is leading “us”.  He’s not training people for the office of  “prophet” to replace John.  He’s not offering a continuing education course or a doctoral program for Pharisees and Sadducee's so they they can update their methods and theology to fit the changing times.  He is not saying everyone has to quit their jobs and go into full-time ministry, though that may be true for some.

Jesus calls you and me, ordinary people, to be “fishers of people,” to take up the mantle of the prophet and proclaim the Word of God not only in the wilderness, but in the marketplace, at our jobs, in our schools, at the restaurant, in the public square, with our friends and neighbors, in our homes and our families, and yes, even in our churches. 

The more we try to plan out exactly how we will follow Jesus, the more we will find Jesus changing our plans.  We are not Jesus’ GPS to make sure everything he calls us to do just happens to be on our route.  If we stop to think about it too much, we will likely be overcome with anticipation and anxiety about the unknown.  We might remember that John was just arrested and wonder if the same might happen to us.  Our fear may get the better of us.  We will surely come up with a million other things we have to do “first.” 

Where our culture says, “trust yourself, trust your instincts, your intelligence, your abilities, your wealth, your plans, etc.” Jesus simply says, “Trust me. Step out of the boat.  Drop your nets.  Let’s go. Follow Me!”

Come and See

---

Come and See
Series: Called - Part 1
John 1:35-52

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he asked, “What are you looking for?”
They said, “Rabbi (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?”

He replied, “Come and see.”

John 1:38-39a (CEB)

Nathanael responded, “Can anything from Nazareth be good?”

Philip said, “Come and see.”

John 1:46 (CEB)

___________________

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

Craig J. Sefa

Come and See

0:00 / 0:00

Download

___________________

In her book, “Inspired”, the late Rachel Held Evans describes her earliest memories of Jesus. She, like many of us, learned to pray around the dinner table. “Thank you Jesus for my mommy and daddy, my sister and my food.” “The first thing I knew about Jesus,” she says, “ is that he was responsible for the existence of my parents, my sister, me, and my food. That seemed like good enough news for me.”

When asked as a teenager to share how she “came to Jesus,” she responded with confusion. There had never been a time in her life when she did not know Jesus, but she never “came to him.” Rather, Jesus had always come to her. Jesus had simply “always been there.”

We spend a lot of time and energy in churches trying to figure out the latest and greatest strategies to get more members and more money in the offering plate. On the whole, the church has become quite proficient at mass producing Vacation Bible Schools, Community Meals, polished worship services, and countless other programs and events in hopes to “draw people in.” We try hard to be “seeker sensitive.” There’s only one problem. There are fewer and fewer “seekers” to be sensitive too. People are not looking for a church. They have no need for church, no matter how impressive it’s programs and ministries, or at least that’s the general perception for so many valid reasons.

Somewhere along the way, in our desperation to “get back to the good old days” when church stood at the center of our community, we have lost our ability to introduce people to what they really need… the Good News of Jesus. Yes, people may meet Jesus in church, but more often than not, Jesus did not meet people in the synagogues or at the temple. He met them in the marketplace, at their jobs, in their homes, on the streets, in the leper colony, among the sick, at funerals, at weddings and parties and feasts.

What if the church itself has become our idol? Just like the golden calf, church has come to function like a mediator between us and God so we don’t have to climb the mountain in the cloud of thunder and lightning where God’s Holy Presence may consume us. Instead, we are content to sit at the base of the mountain saying, “This church is the god who brought you out of Egypt.” So long as we are in the church, we feel comfortable and safe. We have “come to Jesus” by building walls between us and the rest of the world. We want to leave each Sunday morning feeling good about ourselves, having been encouraged and inspired in worship, but not challenged or convicted. We want just enough of “Jesus” to fill up our Spiritual gas tank for the week, but we are not overly comfortable with the thought that he might just walk out the door with us. Like the imaginary ghosts in Disney’s Haunted Mansion, Jesus may just follow you home, or to the restaurant or the bar, or to work, or anywhere else you may go.

In John 1:46, Nathaniel wonders, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” In truth, there are many people in our world to day who might ask us, “Can anything good come from the church?”

Philip did not reply by inviting Nathaniel to Nazareth. He didn’t talk about how great the town was, about all the hidden gems there that nobody noticed. He didn’t tell him about all the great meals and fellowship opportunities or the amazing entertainment that was available. Nazareth was not the point. Philip didn’t need to defend the goodness of Nazareth. He wanted Nathaniel to meet Jesus.

What would it look like if we stopped trying to defend and promote our churches and instead just invited people to meet Jesus? They may come to your church or they may not, but in the end, attending a service or an event at church is not the point. The Good News is not that the church came into the world. The Good News is that God came into the world, wrapped in flesh, to dwell among us.

When we invite people to “Come and see,”, what exactly are we inviting them to? Do we want them to come see our beautiful sanctuary, our inspiring choir, our brilliant Sunday school teacher, our new preacher, or our favorite potluck recipes? Or might we simply invite them to Jesus.

“Can anything good come out of church?”

I don’t know. God can make beautiful things out of the dust, so surely he can bring something good out of Nazareth or the church. But that’s not the point. It’s not about Nazareth. It’s not about the church.

It’s about Jesus. Come and see him for yourself. Come and see the God who has stepped out of heaven to find you.

Come and see.

The Star Still Shines

---

The Star Still Shines
Series: Happy Holy Days - Part 7
Matthew 2:1-23; Luke 2:31-32

When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.”

Matthew 2:13 (CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

Craig J. Sefa

The Star Still Shines

0:00 / 0:00

Download

_____________________________________

The story of the magi, or wise men, makes a beautiful addition to any Christmas play or nativity.  The problem is that these men from the east were never at the manger.  More importantly, when we cut off the story at verse twelve to fit neatly into a single Christmas story, we completely miss Matthew’s point in bringing up these wise men in the first place.

The magi are not just another group of people like the shepherds who show up to Jesus birthday party and just happen to be able to afford nicer gifts.  Matthew uses them as a means to draw attention to another perhaps more important character in the story who is almost always overlooked… King Herod. 

Keeping Herod in the Christmas story is crucial to understanding who Jesus is and what his ministry is all about.  When we move past the sentimentalized story in Matthew 2:1-12, we find a dark scene of the Holy family fleeing as refugees to Egypt to protect the baby Jesus from an extreme authoritarian ruler who is willing to kill every child in town to rid himself of the threat of a potential new king.  On one hand, this should not be surprising given Herod’s history of killing his own child out of paranoia in order to protect his throne.  On the other hand, there is no historical evidence that such a mass slaughter of infants in Bethlehem ever occurred.

Biblical writers are writing theology, not literal history.  Matthew is retelling a familiar story in Israel’s history, the story of an Egyptian Pharoah who seeks to kill all the male Hebrew children in order to prevent his slaves from becoming too strong and potentially rising up against him.  When we get caught up trying to fit Luke’s and Matthew’s stories together historically, we completely miss the point.  Jesus is the new Moses.  Jesus is the one who comes to set the people free.  Jesus, like Moses, is a potential threat to the powers and authorities of the empire, whether in Egypt, Rome, or any other nation throughout history including our own.  And finally, those who hold onto power by force will do almost anything, even sacrificing children, in order to protect their status and authority. 

Somehow the writers of “We Three Kings” and every other Christmas carol missed this part of the story.  Or more likely, they left it out intentionally.  It’s so much easier to add a few good “Kings of Orient” to the Luke narrative alongside the shepherds and the lowing cattle, even if they are not from the Orient and not really kings at all.  By elevating these astrologers or star-gazers to royal status and featuring them bowing before the baby in a manger, we naively assume that Jesus’ position as King of Kings is easily established even at his birth.  It’s a beautiful story, but it’s simply not reality, for Jesus and his parents or for us today. 

Power and wealth still rule the day, and powerful people like Herod don’t give up easily.  Jesus, like Moses, shows us a very different kind of power, the power of humility and love. 

The question we must keep asking is whether we prefer a king who will kill for us, or a king who will die for us?

Sadly, even among followers of Jesus, most would still rather kill like Herod than be killed like Jesus. 

If we’re truly honest, what kind of king do we really prefer? 

All Things New

---

All Things New
Series: Happy Holy Days - Part 6
Ephesians 4:21-32; Isaiah 43:18-19; Mark 2:21-22

Don’t remember the prior things;
don’t ponder ancient history.
Look! I’m doing a new thing;
now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
paths in the wilderness.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (CEB)

No one sews a piece of new, unshrunk cloth on old clothes; otherwise, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and makes a worse tear.  No one pours new wine into old leather wineskins; otherwise, the wine would burst the wineskins and the wine would be lost and the wineskins destroyed. But new wine is for new wineskins.”

 Mark 2:21-22 CEB)

Listen to this week’s sermon here:

Craig J. Sefa

All Things New

0:00 / 0:00

Download

____________________

Happy New Year!

But wait, we’re still in the middle of the 12 days of Christmas.  Epiphany / Three Kings Day is later this week.  And if we want to be really technical, the Christian new year begins the first Sunday of Advent.

In some ways, New Year’s almost seems to short-circuit our Christmas celebrations, calling everyone to take down the decorations and move on.  But what if our New Year’s Celebrations could actually move us deeper into the celebration of Christmas instead of rushing us too quickly past the season?

Like the Winter Solstice, New Year’s celebrations are ancient traditions honored in cultures all around the globe.  The earliest recorded new year’s celebration occurred roughly 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon.  For them, it occurred in mid-march when the crops were planted.  They held a 12 day religious festival known as Akitu, where they would reaffirm loyalty to their king, crown new kings, and make vows to the gods to pay back their debts and return anything they had borrowed.  If the Babylonians kept their word, they believed the gods would grant them favor in the new year.  Rome, Egypt, Persia, and China also have a rich ancient history of celebrating the New Year.

But what does any of this have to do with Christianity?  Technically, absolutely nothing.  New Year’s celebrations and even some of our traditions like new year’s resolutions date back long before Christian history.  Nevertheless, Christians have always been good at adapting cultural traditions, using them both to strengthen our own faith and to bear witness to the ways God is already showing up in the traditions of others, just as we have seen with the development of Christmas.

The idea of making rededicating our lives or renewing our covenants and promises which is part of nearly every new year’s tradition is also a central part of Christian practice.  The Christian life begins with repentance, remembering one’s past mistakes and committing or “resolving” to do better in the future.  In 1740, John Wesley developed this theme into a formal service of Covenant Renewal most commonly held on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.  Another form of Christian New Year’s celebration is the watch-night service, which includes scripture readings and hymn singing, offering a spiritual alternative to “ring in the new year” with prayer instead of partying. 

Research shows that nearly 45 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8 percent are successful.  These resolutions or goals are generally more about self-improvement.  Perhaps its time to stop making empty promises to ourselves and take advantage of this day to renew our covenant with the one who can truly make our lives new.

On January 2, 2022, we used the traditional liturgy from the Wesleyan Covenant Renwal Service at Shiloh UMC in Granite Quarry. You can participate in that service online below.