PPC POST

"HERE I AM LORD, YOU CALLED . . . "

I Samuel 3:1-10

I say a lot of things that I later regret saying. Maybe some of you have heard me say, "If Jesus calls, don't pick up the phone!" Surely, you know that I was kidding. I personally can't imagine not answering God's call to be an ordained elder. Then after eight years, I heard God's call to become a minister of word and sacrament, or to use the language of our New Form of Government (NFOG) to become a teaching elder. Even on my most challenging days in ministry, I am grateful that God called, and by God's grace, I answered that call.

So, when we think of God calling you, the question is not do you answer-the question is how to answer. In the reformed tradition we turn to scripture for answers, and certainly the story of the boy Samuel and Eli the priest will provide answers for our new ruling elders being ordained and installed this morning. But who knows, this story might even provide some answers for you. So listen carefully.

When our story begins, we read that the word of the Lord was rare in those days and visions were few. I guess the same can be said in our time. If God were to speak today, who would God speak to? Who does God speak to? Who would listen? Who does listen?

Some of you may know the story of Samuel. His mother, Hannah, wanted a child so badly she promised the Lord if she had a son she would return him to the temple for divine service. You may remember that Samuel became a great judge in Israel and Samuel was the one who anointed Saul as Israel's first king. But in our story in chapter three, Samuel is still a young boy, around 12 years old.

You may remember the story of Samuel, but you probably don't know much about Eli the priest. In our story, he is now an old man with poor eyesight. Imagine the main priest in the temple has poor eyesight-no wonder visions were rare in Israel! Earlier in chapter two, we read that Eli's sons, who were also priests, were evil. They were immoral and greedy, and Eli, well, he let ‘em get by with their sinful ways. He did nothing to discipline his sons or correct the injustices they inflicted on others.

The story of Samuel and Eli is a story about leadership within God's people, specifically about what kind of leadership will be able to prevent God's word from becoming rare and will enable God's people to see visions.

Now, don't decide yet between Samuel and Eli, because this is not an either/or option. I want to suggest to you that Samuel and Eli together offer two visions for ministry, both incomplete without the other. Samuel offers youth without direction, wisdom or knowledge; Eli offers experience without sight or hearing.

So many times when we think about church leadership, we don't see the big picture; we don't see God's vision for our ministry because we have opted for an "either/or" when we should be demanding an "all."

But enough "preaching." Let's get back to the story. Samuel is asleep in the room of the temple that housed the Ark. Eli's room is elsewhere in the temple. Samuel is asleep when God calls him, "Samuel, Samuel." Samuel thinks it's Eli, so he runs to Eli's room only to be told by Eli, "No, I didn't call you; go back to sleep." There is another call, another trek to Eli's room, another instruction to go back to bed.

What's the explanation? Is Samuel so dumb he doesn't realize it's God calling him? The narrator feels the necessity to explain to the reader that "Samuel did not yet know the Lord.  The word of the Lord has not yet been revealed to him." Isn't that interesting? Granted he is young, but still, Samuel is a priest in training, he has spent all his life in the temple, and he doesn't "know" the Lord? Just because someone is a leader in the church doesn't mean that person hears God's word or sees God's vision.

A third time God calls to Samuel, and this time when Samuel runs to Eli's room, Eli understands, Eli gets it: "Samuel, go lie down. The next time you hear the call, you say ‘speak Lord, for your servant is listening.'"

It's easy to assume that God chooses the young, eager apprentice over the experienced "seasoned" priest. You might deduce that charisma and receptivity are favored over status and tradition-young vs. mature, new vs. old. But look closely at the story. It wasn't until Eli told Samuel how to respond that he hears God's call and goes on to fill his destiny as a great priest and judge. From this point of view, ideal religious leadership is not only a matter of having a willing heart, but it's also about training and discipleship, it's about faithfully performed ministry being handed down from one generation to the next.

Have you ever heard about God's faithful remnant?  Have you ever heard someone calling a small church carrying out the traditions of faith as being "the faithful remnant of God"? In a time when we aren't sure where the church is headed, of course we need young leaders with charisma who can hear God calling us to a new thing, whatever that thing might be. But we also need good and faithful leaders who can discern a real call from God-leaders who know scripture, leaders who have spent time in prayer and service seeking to do God's work.

In discussing what our church needs, someone commented to me that our congregation needs to be fed spiritually before we can feed others. As the "old seasoned priest," my response was we get fed spiritually when we feed others. You see, it's not an either/or option.

On the first Sunday of this New Year, our text was Ecclesiastes 3: there is a time for everything. Well friends, new elders, all of us . . . we need to reflect on that. There is a time to pray and there is a time to act. There is a time for spirituality, but there is also a time for professionalism. There is a time to try new things, to think outside the box, but there is also time for tradition, for hanging on to the important "remnants" that make us faithful people of God.

In our Gospel reading this morning when Jesus was calling his disciples, he called Philip, who then went and found Nathaniel and told him, "We have found the Messiah." When Nathaniel questioned Philip about his call to follow Jesus, Philip simply replied, "Come and see."

What does God have in store for his faithful remnant here in this time and place? Will 2012 be a time when the word of the Lord is not rare? Will our old and young alike "see visions and dream dreams"? I can't tell you for sure what God has in store for those of us whom he has called-I can only invite you to "come and see."

At Palmetto, I like to say we don't give easy answers, we just want to ask the important questions. But friends, if the question concerns answering God's call, we're still figuring out the "how we," but here's an easy answer for the "do we"-if Jesus calls, "Do pick up the phone."

 Amen.

"SHINING LIKE STARS IN THE UNIVERSE"

Philippians 2:12-18

Today we are celebrating Epiphany even though the actual day of Epiphany falls on January 6th each year.

"Epiphany" literally means "manifestation, striking appearance, or vision of God." Epiphany reminds us of the revelation of God as a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. In the Reformed tradition, we place great emphasis on the sovereignty of God. God is all knowing, all seeing, all powerful. God is awesome! God is so holy, so beyond description, that ancient Israel didn't even speak God's name out loud.  "Yahweh," the Hebrew word for God, has no vowels. It is uttered more than spoken-"Yah . . . weh."

So imagine this holy, awesome, beyond description God loving us so much that God almighty actually takes on flesh and lives among us. That's reason for celebration. We celebrate Epiphany because we don't want to forget the story of the wise men (Magi from the East) following the star to visit baby Jesus and thus making Jesus known to the Gentiles.

So this morning we are going to talk about stars and light . . . and darkness, and what it means to journey, to move closer and closer to this savior we call Jesus.

In our Old Testament reading this morning, the prophet Isaiah says, "Rise and shine, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord rises upon you." Earlier in Isaiah's book he tells us, "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, of those living in the shadow of death, a light has dawned." Isaiah says, "Get up, and face the dark world because you, you have the light of God shining upon you."

Wow . . . imagine that! If you were here last year, do you still have your star with that special word written on it? My star was "imagine." So imagine what it means not just to follow the light, but to be the light.

I went back and read last year's Epiphany sermon. The challenge in that sermon was to follow the star. Well, what Paul is telling the Philippians and us is we are not just to follow the star, we are to be the star. Listen: "Shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life."

During Christmas there is a popular phrase you see in various advertisements that says, "Wise men still seek him." Just as the wise men followed a star to meet Jesus on that first Epiphany long ago, people today still come to Jesus by following stars. But not the stars in the sky; the starts they follow, the stars they look for in an often dark and depressing world, are the stars among them here on the ground-those of us who proclaim to be bearers of the light as Christians.

Now, we get to the crux of today's sermon-what it means to be a star. You know, the stars are always present; they are always up there in the sky. The reason we see them at night is because they stand out, they're different. It's very easy to see them against the backdrop of the dark night.

So the question we need to ask ourselves is "Do others see Jesus in us-do we not just stand out, but stand out in a positive way?" I suspect most of us are here this morning in worship because we are trying hard to love Jesus and to love his church-and that's a big challenge . . . church is hard! Paul knew this, which is why he wrote letters of encouragement to each congregation he started. Paul loved the church at Philippi, but even the Philippians had their challenges. Before they can "shine like stars," listen to what Paul tells them:

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,  then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

Only after the Philippians do all of this, can they shine like stars. You see, the introduction to this morning's reading in verse 12 begins with a "therefore." "Therefore, my dear friends . . . work out your own salvation with fear and trembling . . . do everything without complaining and arguing."    What a challenge!

Let's reflect on the Magi who came to see Jesus on the first Epiphany. Contrary to tradition, the Magi didn't arrive at the manger on the night Jesus was born. According to Matthew, they came and saw the "child" in a "house" after several months of traveling. Do you think the wise men didn't mumble and grumble along the way? Did they question what they were doing? Did they get tired on the road? Did they argue about who would go first when they finally arrived?

I hope we can all agree that faith is a journey and not one of us has arrived! But I have to admit, it's easier to follow a star than to actually be a star.

So in 2012, without arguing or complaining, how can Palmetto be a shining light in a dark world? I want to suggest we have 4 options:

• We can isolate ourselves and just spend time in holy huddles. By separating ourselves from the world, we might shine brighter, but who would see us?
• We can give in, and just be like everyone else around us. By not standing out as Christians, by blending in with the crowd and going with the flow, if we can do that, we won't shine at all.
• We could alienate lost people with "holier than thou" attitudes and actions. We can walk around so confident that we know what is right and wrong, that we have the corner on Jesus, that we might shine, but our light actually hurts others' eyes. Lost people are so turned off by our attitudes and actions, they don't want to be found.
• Or we can illuminate the darkness by shining and sharing the word of God, not as arrogant people who have all the answers, but as humble disciples of Jesus Christ. Remember Saint Francis of Assisi-he said, "Preach the gospel, if necessary use words."

So, it's a new year and a new beginning. I've avoided saying much about Paul's admonishment to do everything without complaining and arguing. 2011 was a hard year. Many of us experienced more than our share of darkness. There is a Chinese proverb that says, "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." My prayer is that we will light a lot of candles in 2012.

For those who are visual learners, the December newsletter cover was a prelude to the January cover--a night sky with darkness and then a picture of that same "night" with the bright light of a blazing star.

I want to leave you with some lyrics from Sly and the Family Stone and words from the Apostle Paul.

Everybody is a star

I can feel it when you shine on me

I love you for who you are

not the one you feel you need to be.

May we love one another, then shine like stars in the universe as we hold out the word of life.

Amen.

"THERE IS A TIME . . . "

Ecclesiastes 3:1-13

There is a time . . . but what time is it? I guess on the first day of a new year it's reasonable to ask, "What time is it?" Some of you may think it's time to wrap up this sermon, when the reality is I have only just begun!

I don't know about you, but I take the question "What time is it?" way too literally. Even though my "smart" phone will tell me the time, I never leave home without wearing my watch, especially on Sundays. I know the "timing" of every part of the worship service and am most pleased when the benediction comes more than 60 minutes but less than sixty-five minutes after the chiming of the hour.

But what if the question "What time is it?" refers to something more than the ticking of the clock?

There was an ancient teacher of wisdom who was called in Hebrew "Quohelet." The name in Greek is translated "Ecclesiastes," and this wise person understood time quite differently from you and me. He wrote after the Babylonian exile which had taught the Israelites that time wasn't always "a piece of cake." Life can be hard. Bad times can drag on; good times go by fleetingly fast. If you read the whole book of Ecclesiastes, you might decide that ole Quohelet is something of a cynic. Thirty-eight times in his book he states that "all is vanity."

He may be a cynic but he does provide answers to the question "What time is it?" In fact, in our reading this morning in chapter 3, he provides 28 answers-14 pairs of action verbs arranged in sharp contrast to one another. It begins with the obvious when we think about life. There is a time to be born . . . and alas, there is a time to die. In the 4 ½ years we have been together as a community, we have witnessed many, many births, but it wasn't until July 31st of this past year that our dear friend Martha Johnson's life in this world came to an end, at the age of 93. We can only wonder: "Was it the right time?"

We can wonder, but old Quohelet would never ask such a question. For him, things are the way they are, set in motion by God. The universe unfolds according to God's plan, not ours. There is a season for everything-but only God knows why existence is set up the way it is. We should not waste energy railing against life; instead, Quohelet advises, "The best thing to do is to be happy and enjoy yourself for as long as you can." Since there are so many things over which we have no control, it is wise to be happy and to look for joy. There is another prescription for life in Ecclesiastes: "Always and forever, stand in awe before God, from whose mighty acts nothing can be added or taken away." God is the creator of time, and God sets the rhythm of reality. Sometimes when people ask me theological questions for which I have no good answer, I remind them that God is God . . . and we are not-end of question!

However, knowing the answer to the question "What time is it?" separates the foolish from the wise. Sometimes, we hold on to things that are actually finished and done-a relationship that is no longer enjoyable or nurturing, a building that needs to come down. Sometimes, we need to speak up for justice or to right a wrong, and sometimes we need to be silent. Let's bring the examples closer to home-people die, relationships die, churches die. When the Heritage Church closed and the property was sold, our presbytery was able to buy land and help fund our church today.

What about our loved ones who have lived long lives, but are now suffering from some debilitating disease or their bodies have just worn out-are there worse things than death? Do we know what time it is? How about killing? What was ole Quohelet thinking-to say there is a time to kill? But wait a minute-is now a good time to kill hatred, to kill incivility, prejudice and a whole list of societal ills? Maybe it's time to sow seeds of reason, seeds of compassion, to mend broken relationships, to love God and neighbor and hate anything that separates us from God.

What about weeping? You know, in 2011 for three months straight I cried every day-life was overwhelming, but with the tears came my time for silence . . . what a gift, to not talk. And in this New Year, I'm praying it's my time, and yours, to laugh.

What time is it? Suppose this is the year we all slow down and heed the advice in Ecclesiastes: "What does the worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God."

What time is it? Is it time to be happy, is it time to be satisfied with your work, with your calling, with your station in life? Can you eat and drink and work and be fulfilled-right now, today, not regretting what happened yesterday and not fretting over what will happen tomorrow? There is a bumper sticker that reads, "Don't postpone joy." Old Quohelet couldn't have said it better!

The first day of a New Year is not the time to omit Jesus in a sermon. So how would Jesus answer the question "What time is it?" If you read the gospels, you find that Jesus lived in the present. When Jesus went to Nazareth to preach in his hometown, he began his sermon saying, "Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." When he was dying on the cross, Jesus assured the thief hanging beside him that "today you will be with me in paradise." And he told his followers that they needn't worry about the second coming-instead, be watchful,  be dressed ready for service today, now, right this minute.

I have a clergy friend who has a copy of a Sanskrit poem written over 2000 years ago hanging in her study that reads: "Yesterday is but a memory, and tomorrow a vision, but today well-lived makes every yesterday a memory of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope."

So, what time is it? Ole Quohelet says it's time to stand in awe of God, to accept that God has made everything beautiful in its time. If we accept that, we can eat and drink and be happy with our station in life-today and every day.

And now it is time to wrap up this sermon.

Happy New Year.

Amen.