First Lesson: Exodus 24: 12-18
Responsive Reading: Psalm 2
Second Lesson: 2 Peter 1: 16-21
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 17: 1-9

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
George Mallory had a dream.  Mallory’s dream was big to be the first man to climb to the top of Mount Everest all 29,000 feet plus (the tallest mountain on Earth). 

1921- Mallory’s first attempt traveling from the east reached 23,000 feet before being unable to go any further.  1922- Mallory attempted to climb from the north finally reaching 27,000 feet.  Mallory’s men trigger an avalanche through a climbing error, killing seven[1].

Mallory then dared to undertake the third attempt to climb Everest in 1924.  Mallory figured because of his age (37) that his lungs wouldn’t be able to withstand any additional attempts.  The third voyage would be Mallory’s last[2].  As Mallory got ready to depart, he vowed that whatever happened on the deadly mountain that he would not return defeated.  What happened to George Mallory on the third attempt at Mount Everest?  Did God intend for George Mallory to be the first man to reach Mount Everest’s peak?  We’ll get back to his story in a little bit. 

Like George Mallory, nearly all of us have dreams regarding how we want to see the world unfold.  When I was in high school, I wanted to be a great basketball player.  I wanted to be the guy scoring twenty points on a Friday night and hearing the accolades of my classmates after a big win on Monday morning.  I would spend summers shooting hoops and watching basketball all the time.  Two problems with this dream: “I would be generously listed at 5 foot 8” and “I was never quick.”  Pretty quickly, it became obvious that God’s plans for me didn’t involve becoming a great basketball player. 

Now let me tell you the tale of some other dreamers in Peter, James, and John their dream involved a mountain.  Peter, James, and John had humble origins as fishermen.  They left this life one day when Jesus promised unto them a world like they hadn’t seen before.  Today’s Gospel Lesson from Matthew 17[3] tells the tale of Peter, James, and John along with Jesus climbing a mountain and like George Mallory, their life would never be the same again. 

The thing you need to know about mountains in the Bible is big life-changing events take place on mountains. 

Exodus 20- Moses climbs to the top of Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments governing God's relationships with his people for generations. 

1 Kings 18- Elijah has a famous showdown with the Priests of Baal to seek to establish “Who is the one true God?” The showdown ends with Elijah calling down fire from heaven.

Mountains through the Scriptures play a huge role in God’s dealings with his people.  The Mount of Transfiguration would be the sight of one of God’s most dramatic acts yet!

Our lesson for today has Peter, James, John and Jesus begin to climb a mountain.  Jesus begins to pray like any other day.  Then it happened! Not since God spoke to Moses through a burning bush had anything like this happened!

Picture the most dramatic thing that you’ve ever seen and the drama doesn’t match this.  Jesus’ appearance changed instantly as he started shining as bright as the sun[4].  Jesus human body appeared to look like nothing that Peter, James, or John had ever seen.  Jesus was not just white, but dazzling white.  The surprises though were going to keep coming.  Then appeared on the scene the heroes of the stories that Peter, James, and John had heard as a child in Moses and Elijah[5].  Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!  Was probably what Peter, James, and John had to say about this scene. 

Imagine how you would react as a Baseball fan if Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were to appear in this place after having been dead for generations if you were a music fan picture Mozart and Elvis Presley.  Here were Peter, James, and John encountering the long dead heroes of their faith in Abraham and Moses. 
  
This Transfiguration scene was going to represent the high point of Peter, James, and John’s life.  Nothing could ever top this.  The greatest dreams of following Jesus were coming true! Here they were encountering famous dead guys.  The nights of sacrifice and hard work were finally paying off.   Fame and fortune seemed to be coming Peter, James, and John’s way until Jesus tells them something catches them off-guard.

Jesus tells them “Don’t tell anyone what they had seen?”  Now imagine, being unable to tell anyone about the greatest thing that you’ve ever seen.  Jesus didn’t want the Disciples to give anyone the wrong idea about his ministry. 

The Disciples thought they had been following Jesus long enough that they were experts who had this whole Jesus thing figured out by as in many cases the experts were wrong.
Consider the following[6]:

In 1943, the President of IBM was a man named Thomas Watson who said: “I think there’s a world market for about five computers.”

In 1946, the President of 20th-century Fox Daryl F.Zanuck said “TV won’t be able to hold onto any market it captures after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night.”

The future is in many cases deceiving.  What Jesus is saying to the Disciples is that there is much more taking place than what you merely see today on the mountaintop of Transfiguration.  Jesus’ plans didn’t just involve the triumph of the present but would center on the cross which was to come.  Jesus’ plans were only going to be made known once the Son of God was raised from the dead. 

The great human weakness is our belief that we possess the ability to conquer the world on our own.  Believing that we have equal power to God is how sin came into the world.  Earlier, I told the story of George Mallory who attempted to be the first man to ascend to the top of Mount Everest.

There was another man whose goal was to tackle a different mountain in Aconcagua [7].  Aconcagua is the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere down in Argentina.  The man set out after years of preparation.  The man was arrogant and wanted to do everything that he possibly could alone.  He figured that he was in such good shape that everything would work out for him.  He would climb all night long if necessary not even bringing any camping gear.  Nightfall soon came.  The man couldn’t see a foot ahead.  He couldn’t even see the moon nor the stars.  The man kept climbing.  Eventually 100 meters from the top, the man slips.  He kept falling from the sky as every good and bad memory of life flashed before his eyes.  The man believes in those mere seconds that death was ahead of him.  In the midst of his fall, his rope gets stuck on a branch saving his life seemingly only temporarily. 

Finally, in a desperate plea, he shouts out “Save me, God[8].”  The man in a scene just as shocking as Peter, James, and John experience on the Mount of Transfiguration hears a voice respond “Do you really think that I can save you?”  To which the man replies “Yes, God, Yes!”  God answers back then do the following: “Cut the rope that is holding you up?”  Such a request was too- far fetched as the man began to argue back and forth with God about his plan. The man eventually drowns out God’s voice.  The man just clung tighter and tighter to his rope only to freeze to death during the night.  Rescue crews found the man’s body the very next morning.  The man was gripping tightly to a rope all the while hanging two feet off the ground[9].” 

This mountain climber had one vision for how the world should look.  The vision was going to result in all sorts of fame and earthly glory.  Suffering and death surely couldn’t be a part of this plan.  The man’s dream was going to result in his downfall.  Peter, James, and John also had a dream as they went up to the Mount of Transfiguration.  The dream would result in them encountering a world filled with euphoria and glory.  Seeing Moses and Elijah in the flesh! See Jesus shining like the Sun nothing could ever top this! What these men failed to realize is that salvation doesn’t come through what we see or experience in this lifetime.  Salvation comes ultimately through death before eventual resurrection.

George Mallory undertook his third climbing expedition in 1924[10].  George Mallory gave it everything that he had.  He made it 27,000 feet, only 2,000 feet from the summit before his body could endure no more.  Explorers would years later find Mallory’s body hands extended high over his head, toes pointed towards the summit, fingers digging into loose rock[11].  George Mallory died in pursuit of the cause that defined his life. The story of George Mallory was by no means over. 

Shortly after Mallory’s death, a banquet was held in England honoring the rest of his team[12].  At the head banquet table lay a picture of the one, big bad Mountain that took George Mallory’s life.  The group’s leader stands up and says the following to the assembled audience; “Mt. Everest, you have defeated us once; you have defeated us twice; you defeated us three times.  But Mt Everest, we shall someday defeat you, because you can’t get any bigger but we can[13].” George Mallory’s resolve impacted his fellow climbers long after he left this world behind. 

Twenty-nine years after Mallory’s death, Sir Edmund Hillary reached the top of Mount Everest.
 
Even the world’s biggest, baddest mountain can one day fall.  What Jesus is saying to the Disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration is this. You might have a dream even grander than George Mallory for how the world should look.  The dream might result with you literally standing on the top of the world.  The dream might result in you standing in the presence of your greatest heroes.  The dream might be you experiencing all sorts of great miracles within this world.  No matter where you’re at Today, God’s plans go way beyond your own.  These plans at times might not make a lot of sense: sin, a cross, and death do not sound all that appealing.  Rest assured that even the greatest of religious experts were wrong on Good Friday.  Easter is, in fact, coming soon. 

Amen
 
 
 


[1] “George Mallory.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 20.Feb.2017. Web. Feb.22.2017. 
[2] “George Mallory.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[3] Matthew 17:1-9. 
[4] Matthew 17:2
[5] Matthew 17:3
[6] The following comes from Pastor Dennis Brostrom and was originally given in “Quote” on November 15, 1984. 
[7] Author Unknown. “The Mountain Climber” Gospel Web.net: Illustrations. 10.Sept.2014. Web. Feb.22.2017. 
[8] Author Unknown. “The Mountain Climber”
[9] Author Unknown. “The Mountain Climber”
[10] George Mallory.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation.
[11] Stories for Preaching. “We’ll Get Bigger”. Stories for Preaching  taken from Seattle Times (Jan.16, 2000) and Illustrations Unlimited. Web. Feb.20.2017
[12] Stories for Preaching. “We’ll Get Bigger”.
[13] Stories for Preaching. “We’ll Get Bigger”.

First Lesson: Leviticus 19: 1-2, 9-18
Responsive Reading: Psalm 119: 33-40
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 3: 10-11, 16-23
Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5: 38-48

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The Hatfields were an upper-class Confederate family from West Virginia.  The Hatfields made their money in timber.  The McCoys were a lower class Union family from Kentucky[1].  The McCoys took to distributing moonshine.  The origins of the feud begin with a murder of a McCoy by a Hatfield relative in the waning days of the civil war.  The feud though would not get hot though until the year 1878. 

Floyd Hatfield had a pig.  Living on the other side of the Tug River from the Hatfields was the McCoys.  The McCoys also owned hogs.  One day Randolph McCoy saw Floyd Hatfield’s hog and noticed something funny.  Floyd’s hog had his ears notched just like the McCoys would do to their pigs.  Floyd Hatfield was immediately branded to be a pig thief by the McCoys.  The case eventually ends up in court.  The judge for the McCoys court case was the Honorable Anderson Hatfield.  The McCoys lose the case on the testimony of one witness (Bill Stanton) who is a friend of the Hatfields.  The McCoys then kill Stanton.

Around this time one of the Hatfield children (Johnson) impregnated one of the McCoy children (Rosanna).  The McCoys don’t like this, so they set up Johnson Hatfield to be arrested for bootlegging.  Pretty soon blood is flying on all sides.  Cabins were burned down.  Over a dozen lives were taken from these families.  One small family feud gets so heated that the Governors of Kentucky and West Virgina eventually get involved in its mediation[2].  A court case involving the families eventually makes its way to the United States Supreme Court.  The powder keg for all this bloodshed was a hog.

Now, this all seems a little extreme for a hog.  But what if there was something else involved.  You see as Malcolm Gladwell writes about in his book Outliers, The Hatfields and McCoys were merely one of several famous family feuds that took place in Appalachia in these years[3].  What made Appalachia unique was the origins of its settlers.  Primarily Scottish and Irish herders.  Herdsmen have to possess a different mindset than farmers.  Whereas farmers are dependent on cooperating with their neighbors, herdsmen have to be on guard at all times against their livelihood being stolen.  Herdsmen almost by nature need to be aggressive in defending their turf.  The history of Herdsmen is why the Hatfields and McCoys explode over a pig. 

Now Jesus understood the herder's mentality.  Jesus audience for the Sermon on the Mount knew the mentality of shepherds.  The following history is why Jesus invokes them during his ministry proclaiming himself to be the Good Shepherd.  Now in our Gospel lesson for Today: Jesus needs to speak to the shepherd’s mindset.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. “-Matthew 5:38-39.   

I came across an interesting psychology article this week entitled “Enemies enhance the meaning of life[4].”

The point of the article is nothing unites a group of people like having a common enemy.  You might have nothing in common with a person until you both find out that you cheer against the Green Bay Packers.  Enemies enhancing the meaning of our lives explains why people unfriend people on Facebook for having a different political viewpoint.  Enemies bring stability to our life.  If we lose our job, then blame the President.  If the Vikings lose, then the Refs must be for the Packers.  If we lose a relationship, we call the other person every name in the book.  The article explained people often see the world as safer if they have a group of a bogeyman on which to pin its failings. 

Back to the Hatfields and McCoys,  The reason the feud got so heated is both families simplified their dispute it into (I’m right and they’re wrong).  They need to change, but I can stay the same.  While the Hatfields and McCoys might seem to be an extreme example,  we live in a society that often claims its ground by shaming  and boycotts[5].  We live in a society always looking to pin the blame on cops, single mothers, miners, environmentalists,  atheists, Christians, republicans, or democrats.  We assume the world will be fixed as soon “they” get to be more like “us.” 

What Jesus is saying Today until we consider the possibility of looking at ourselves then the world will remain as broken as its ever been.

In 2012, The History Channel aired on a miniseries on America’s greatest feud between the Hatfields and McCoys.  History Channel President Nancy Dubac described the feud as thus: “One of the things that was overwhelming when I first read the script was that there wasn’t a good guy and a bad guy. The nuances are fascinating[6].” .  The nuances of life can become a problem.

“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is the very definition of fairness[7].  

We all agree that the punishment should indeed fit the crime.  The problem is pretty soon that no one will possess the eyes to be able to see anymore.  What Jesus is saying here today is that there is indeed another way forward. 

“Love Your Enemies[8]”  “Pray for those who persecute you[9].”

We might hear these words from Jesus and assume that he doesn’t understand your neighbor who lets their dog do their business wherever they well, please!

To understand the nature of our Gospel lesson.  You need to understand the context of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ life took place in Palestine during a time when hated godless Roman oppressors possessed it.  The Gospels were published into a world where Christians were blamed for setting fire to Rome.  Don’t say Jesus doesn’t understand your situation because his situation was probably more extreme than your own.  Jesus in our lesson is encouraging prayer for his enemies who ended up putting him to death. 

Anyone can love people who are nice to you or people that can improve your life whether it be personally or financially.  What Jesus calls on his followers to do though is to extend love beyond just these people.  Jesus calls on Hatfields to love McCoys.  What Jesus is saying today is that neither your neighbor’s nor your own brokenness is beyond God’s redemption. 

Once upon a time, there were two brothers who shared adjoining farms no different than the Hatfields and McCoys[10].  These brothers worked side by side for over forty years, helping and supporting each other whenever possible. One day a rift between the brothers started.  At first, the rift was minor, it was just a simple misunderstanding with no hogs even involved.  The rift kept growing though until the brothers were no longer speaking to each other.

One day a man shows up looking for work[11]. He approaches the older brother Pete carrying a carpenter’s toolbox.  He asks if there are any jobs that need to be done. 

Pete thought for a moment[12]. Anger had consumed Pete's day with his brother Phil.  Pete finally decides that he’s tired of looking at Phil’s farm.  So he suggests that the laborer goes down by the creek and build a giant fence, so he doesn’t have to look at Phil’s farm anymore.  The laborer goes down by the creek to get to work.  Pete leaves the laborer for the day to go to a cattle auction.  Pete returns to the check the fence’s progress.  What Pete sees is shocking! 

There is no fence down by the creek.  The laborer had instead built a bridge across the creek.  On the other side of the bridge was Phil.  Phil walks across the bridge to Pete where they both confess their sins to each other before the brothers finally embrace.  Both Pete and Phil offer to keep the Laborer on because of their gratitude.  The Laborer refuses to stay as he wasn’t about building projects but rather building bridges[13].  How would both the world and the church look if we adopted a similar mindset?

I came across a quote this week that summed up the Christian Church quite well given by Gordon McDonald.

“The world can do almost anything as well or better than the church.  You need not be a Christian to build houses, feed the hungry, or heal the sick.  There is only one thing the world cannot do.  It cannot offer grace[14].” 

Grace has the potential to change the whole wide world.  Grace can eventually heal even the most bitter of feuds. 

Back to the story of the Hatfields and McCoys[15].  In 1976, the last two survivors of the original families Jim McCoy and Willis Hatfield gathered at a monument for those originally slain in the feud. Both men put an end to this feud by formally shaking hands on this day.  Jim McCoy would die at the age of 99 in 1984.  Jim McCoy was buried by Hatfield Funeral Home in Toler, Kentucky. 

My point for this morning is this.  You will have people in this life who you might consider to be enemies.  You will have people who wrong you, disappoint you, and  you might wish for nothing more for the day that you lash out with your revenge.  This mindset though is how a dispute about a pig can lead to the death of over a dozen people.  What Jesus is saying Today is this.  “There can be another way.” A way of humility. A way of prayer. A way of grace.  A way of hope. A way of healing.  Do not let your enemies define you.  See your enemies gather at a cross right along with you.  Amen
 


[1] “Hatfield-McCoy Feud”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 14.Feb.2017. Web. Feb.14.2017.
[2] More background on this feud from Archer, Clint. “To Cut a Long Story Short: Preaching Obadiah.” The Cripple Gate. 04.Aug.2014. Web. Feb.14.2017. 
[3] Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. Little, Brown and Company. New York. 2008. Print. P.166-167.
[4] Heflick, Nathan. A. “Enemies Enhance the Meaning of Life.” Physcology Today. 15.Oct..2011. Web. Feb.13.2017 
[5] NM. “Can You Guys Keep It Down Out There? I Can Barely Hear My Self-Condemnation.” MBIRD (Mockingbird Ministries). 20.Oct.2011. Web. Feb.13.2017
[6] Pierce, Mark. “Hatfields&McCoys: 5 Beliefs That Make Me One Too.” Pastors.com. 31. May.2012. Web. Feb.14.2017. 
[7] Works, Carla. “Commentary on Matthew 5:38-48.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul, MN. 23.Feb.2014. Web. Feb.14.2017.
[8] Matthew 5:44
[9] Matthew 5:44.
[10]Source Unknown. “Building Bridges.” Stories for Preaching. Web. Retrieved on Feb.13.2017.  I slightly revised the story to give the other brother a name in Phil.
[11] Source Unknown. “Building Bridges.”
[12] Source Unknown. “Building Bridges.”
[13] Source Unknown. “Building Bridges.”
[14] Molin, Steve. “He Hit Me First!” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. Feb.14.2017. 
[15] Reynolds, R. David. “The Deadly Sin of Anger.” Sermon Central. 5.Mar.2008. Web. Feb.14.2017.  

First Lesson: Deuteronomy 30: 15-20
Responsive Reading: Psalm 119: 1-8
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 3: 1-9
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5: 21-37

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
The first season for the Atlanta Falcons was 1966[1].  For the majority of these fifty-one seasons, the Atlanta Falcons have not been a good football team.  The Falcons have made the playoffs only in about ¼ of their seasons in the NFL.  Last Sunday[2], The Falcons were playing in their second Super Bowl.  This year appeared to be the Falcons year leading at one point 28-3.  With 6:04 left in the third quarter of Sunday’s football game, the Falcons stood a 99.9 percent chance according to mathematical models of winning their first championship.  Five minutes left in the game the Falcons stood a 97 percent chance of winning according to these same mathematical models. The Falcons lose in overtime.  I understand tough losses as a Vikings fan, but Sunday’s game seems to be life’s definition of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Fifty-one years of waiting for a Super Bowl only to see your dreams crumble in mere moments.  Even though there are probably not many Atlanta Falcons fans in Northeast Minnesota, we can relate to their pain. 

I know of a guy who I’ll call Derek.  Derek lives in out-state Minnesota where it can be sometimes hard to meet single women.  Derek gets on the internet and meets a woman that I’ll call Tonya.  Tonya lives on the other side of the country from Derek.  Derek and Tonya start emailing each other back and forth.  After several months, Derek agrees to fly out to meet Tonya.  Derek confirms travel plans with Tonya.  These plans have Derek flying to a city that he’s never been to meet the supposed woman of his dreams.  Tonya is supposed to pick Derek up at the airport.  Derek’s flight arrives, he cannot find Tonya anywhere.  Derek keeps calling and calling, Tonya never answers.  Derek never hears back from Tonya ever again.  Derek proceeds to spend the next few days of his life alone in a foreign city reflecting on how he ever goes forward from this day.

You may have never experienced the joys of online dating, yet you’ve probably had similar moments where you long for nothing more than escape from within your life.  You’ve maybe longed for escape from the pain of a broken relationship, the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one. 

So our question for this morning is what we can take from the situations of the Atlanta Falcons, Derek, and within our lives as we consider the meaning of our Gospel lesson from Matthew 5[3].  It’s the third part of Jesus’ most famous sermon ever given in the Sermon on the Mount. 

Now a few weeks ago, I gave Andy Stanley’s description of the Sermon on the Mount when he said: “The Sermon on the Mount is Extreme!”  People, who claim to love the Sermon on the Mount, haven’t read the whole thing[4].”

Now, Jesus, today is at his most extreme as he discusses the nature of sin. 

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.  And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”-Matthew 5:21-22

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” –Matthew 5: 27-28. 

Now as Jesus’ audience is hearing these things.  They were probably reacting to these words like you do.  These words startle you.

Now the people hearing these things believed that they had kept the commandments since birth, they paid their taxes and kept peace with their neighbors.  

What Jesus is saying today is that sin is much deeper than just the individual rights or wrongs we commit. Sin gets to the very nature of our essence!

Some years back, Tom Cruise came out with a movie called Minority Report.  Minority Report paints a scary picture of the world where the Government doesn’t arrest people for crimes committed, but rather the Government arrests on their ability to read people’s minds for crimes that they will commit in the future. 
Picture the plot for Minority Report; now picture Sin is not even hitting your brother but daring to be angry at your brother for taking the last pork chop at your last family dinner.  You would constantly be in fear of God’s judgment at every corner. 

How do you move forward then?  Tony Robbins is one of the most popular self-help gurus in the country[5].  Robbins rose to fame by perfecting the act of walking on fire at seminars.  Robbins would later incorporate additional bold actions such as skydiving and board breaking into his presentations to help motivate people to overcome their pasts. 

Tony Robbins whole shtick is making you the best version of yourself that you can be.  Robbins would seem to be the perfect cure for Jesus’ harsh words about the reality of suffering and sin given on the Sermon on the Mount.  Tony Robbins like Jesus is very direct when it comes to what’s wrong with people[6].  Also like Jesus, Robbins names people’s struggles does not condemn them and promises a way of hope moving forward. 

Tony Robbins could be one of the best preachers in the country.  Here’s the problem with Tony Robbins.  His words are encouraging you to unleash your limitless potential run until you into a brick wall.  When you’re the Atlanta Falcons and you blow a sure victory in the biggest game of your life, when your Derek blown off at a far-away airport, or when you’re in a crowd of Jesus’ followers hearing how you’re just as guilty as a murderer for hating your brother. 

People like Robbins can sometimes remove suffering momentarily, yet a lot of things can remove suffering momentarily.  What Jesus is getting at Today is something is much more wrong with the world than just our moments of suffering.  Suffering will only be gone from the world when Sin is ultimately gone from the world[7]. 

Bill Walker describes Robbins best when he says:[8] “Robbins says we are loved because we are good — or at least have the capacity to be. Jesus Christ says that we are loved because he is good, even when we are not. And based on what I know about myself, a message about his goodness is better news than one about my potential.”

On the other side of the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday were the New England Patriots (The Now Five-Time Champions).  The Patriots are defined by their Quarterback Tom Brady who seemingly has it all.  Five Super Bowl trophies now the most of any quarterback ever, he’s married to a supermodel, he never seems to age, he’s got a bank account with numbers in it that those of us in this room can only imagine.  You listen to Tony Robbins; you might believe the best type of Christian would be the religious equivalent of Tom Brady.  You know the type of man/woman that has been blessed with good looks, smarts, charm, and self-discipline beyond what any of us sense ourselves to be.  The type of person who would never blow a 28-3 lead or get stood up at an airport. 

Jesus’ point with his dramatic language in the Sermon on the Mount for Today seems to be this: There is no such thing as the Christian equivalent of Tom Brady. Each of us will continually fall short in this life, no self-improvement schemes will be able to free you from suffering in this world, yet we still have a Gospel in which to cling.

Former Swedish Lutheran Bishop described the best types of Christians as such as those who “look towards their own hearts with all its sluggishness and wretchedness, the more they come to love their Savior and be struck with wonder that the grace does not run out, that their Lord never tires to forgive, that He is not ashamed to call great sinners brothers, sisters, friends and coworkers.”

A lot of people do not like the New England Patriots, just like people a generation before didn’t like the New York Yankees, and a generation before they might not have liked the LA Lakers.  The reason for this is because their life experience is so different from our own.  There are no promises that Silver Bay is going to get an influx of Brazilian models or Super Bowl winning Quarterbacks moving to town anytime soon.
We do have promises though to guide us even if they might not seem obvious at the moment of our despair. 

Let me tell you a story from when I was in college.  The Vikings were playing the New York Giants in a road game to go to the Super Bowl.  One of my best friends was named Nate.  Nate was talking up the Vikings the whole week of the game.  Nate would tell everyone who would listen that the Vikings were finally going to win the Super Bowl.  We have a party with some friends over at Concordia.  Game starts. A little over 2 minutes into the game, the Vikings are down 14-0.  Nate isn’t saying a word.  Halftime and the Vikings, are down 34-0.  Pretty soon everyone leaves including Nate.  Nate the next day proclaims that he’s done with the Vikings because they’re choke artists.  Let’s be thankful our God is not fickle like Nate!
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”- Deuteronomy 31:6  

Ole and Lena were celebrating their 50th Wedding Anniversary[9]. 

Lena asks Ole “Why don’t you tell me you love me anymore?”

Ole looks flabbergasted at the question.  Ole finally replies “I told you fifty years ago that I loved you, and if that ever changes, I’ll let you know.”

The point of our passage from the Sermon on the Mount is this.  The way of the world is often lined with suffering.  Anyone who waited fifty-one years to see the Atlanta Falcons win can confirm this.  Life is not merely four quarters, and we have promises more certain that the one given by Ole to Lena on their wedding day some fifty years before.  Our God doesn’t promise us merely by our surface level success.  Our God even gives a sermon where he speaks to our anger, and disappointment beyond what we would even be willing to admit to others.  Our God promises to be with the Atlanta Falcons both in victory and defeat, in both the pain of the present and the fifth quarter which is to come.  Amen


[1] “Atlanta Falcons”. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. 8.Feb.2017. Web. 9. Feb.2017. 
[2] Barnwell, Bill. “Anatomy of a miracle. How the Patriots came back from the dead.” ESPN. 6. Feb.2017. Web. Feb.7.2017. 
[3] Matthew 5:21-37. 
[4] The following lines come from a You Tube clip posted by Shawn Nelson on May, 23rd 2014.  The following clip comes from Stanley’s 2011 “Shocking Statements of Jesus: Sermon Series- Part 5”. Previous reference given in Fritz and Frank sermon delivered on January 29th, 2017. 
[5] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.” MBIRD(Mockingbird Ministries). 07.Feb.2017.Web.  Feb.7.2017. 
[6] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.”
[7] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.”
[8] Walker, Bill. “Learning about the Gospel from Self-Help, AA, and Tony Robbins.”
[9] Molin, Steve. “Power of a Promise.” Sermon Writer. 2006. Web. Feb.7.2017.  

First Lesson: Isaiah 58: 1-9a (9b-12)
Responsive Reading: Psalm 112: 1-10
Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 2: 1-12 (13-16)
​Gospel Lesson: Matthew 5: 13-20

Grace and Peace from Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
​
Let me begin by telling you a story about a church not much different than this one, in a town not much different than Silver Bay. 

Pastor Doug had just received a call to Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church[1].  Saint Martin’s Lutheran was the most beautiful building that Pastor Doug had ever seen: gorgeous sanctuary looked like a log cabin inside, a row of very nice looking Sunday School classrooms, a brand-spanking-new kitchen, and a fellowship hall with plush chairs that could hold over 200 people.  For Pastor Doug, Saint Martin’s seemed to be a dream call until he looked at the attendance figures.  Pastor Doug started studying these figures and saw they had nearly 300 people at Saint Martin’s on a Sunday thirty years back; then the years went by, people started dying off or moving away or stopped coming altogether.  Now Saint Martin’s would be thrilled to get 75 people there on a Sunday morning. 

Pastor Doug began a new call like most preachers do with a great sense of optimism.  He began calling on inactive members, he helped organize meals to invite the community to Saint Martin’s, and he spent hours trying to craft his sermons.  Pastor Doug though like nearly every other pastor at Saint Martin’s before him saw nothing seem to change.  Everyone Pastor Doug talked to believed that Saint Martin’s was going to stay the way that it has always been.

Pastor Doug though had different plans.  Pastor Doug decides to take out an ad in the local newspaper.  Pastor Doug announces that since Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church was dead, that he was going to give it a funeral.  The funeral for Saint Martin’s Lutheran was going to be held at 2 P.M. on the following Sunday.  Everyone in town soon started talking about Saint Martin’s Lutheran.

Sunday Afternoon rolls around, everyone in town shows up for the funeral, here’s what shocked those in attendance.  Right at the front of the sanctuary was a giant casket adorned by flowers.  What was in the casket everyone wondered?  Pastor Doug gives a eulogy for Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church then invites everyone to come forward to see the casket.  Everyone was wondering what exactly lay inside this casket[2]. 

The lines of people begin seeing the inside of the casket.  Everyone who looked into the casket turned away as soon as they saw what was inside.  Heads were jerking away at a violent pace.  You see what was inside Saint Martin’s casket was a mirror.  Every person who looked inside Saint Martin’s casket saw their own reflection. 

Here’s the thing though about Saint Martin’s Lutheran it is not unique.  I read a book last week called Autopsy of a Deceased Church by Thom Rainer.  Rainer estimates that there are nearly 400,000 churches in this country that show signs of illness that could lead to eventual death[3].  Now here’s the thing though about nearly all these churches: they’ve had faithful pastors, they’ve all had committed members and leaders, they’ve all attempted to reach out and engage the community in some ways.  But no different than Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church years of numerical disappointment leads eventually to apathy and hopelessness setting in.

Is there hope for Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church, I’ll get back to them in a bit. 

Today’s Gospel Lesson comes to us from Matthew 5[4].  It’s the second part of Jesus’ Famous Sermon on the Mount.  Let me talk briefly about the audience for the Sermon on the Mount to help understand it a bit better. 

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”-Matthew 5:20. 

The scribes were basically the Bible interpreters in Jesus’ day.  If you know any English teachers, scribes had to be nature very strict and rigid about following the rules.  The Pharisees were the religious elite sitting in the front row of the Temple every Sunday.  The Pharisees were held in high esteem throughout their community.  The Pharisees would have been made up of mostly, highly respectable businessman. 
Who does Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount? Basically, everyone but the Scribes and Pharisees? The Disciples were mostly a collection of uneducated fishermen and the rest of the people listening we hear as being either meek, mourning or poor in spirit. 

Now if you were to take a look at the people in the audience they would seem to be the last type of people that could turn a place like Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church around.  The type of people that Jesus should have saved his best sermon for another crowd.

Here’s the thing about Jesus though, he knew who was in the Sermon on the Mount crowd.

“You are the light of the world.   Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven[5].”

What Jesus is saying is that he chooses people to bring forth his kingdom regardless of their previous resume. 

I came across a quote this week that suggested perhaps it’s the cracks from within our lives (meekness, mourning, addiction, despair, regret, broken relationships,  depression, old age and fear) that bring God’s light into our lives.  Maybe it is through these same cracks where the love of God is meant to get out once again[6]. 

Perhaps the point of the Sermon on the Mount is Jesus is all about building his ministry through imperfect people.  People from whom light can shine out of the deepest darkness.

The question for this morning is how do we bring this light forth?

“Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a bushel but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”-Matthew 20:15. 

Now Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church probably had all kinds of bushels[7].  They probably saw all kinds of ways why their light was merely meant to flicker, rather than shine.

They might have been comparing themselves to the other more seemingly religious successful churches in town[8].  They could have been obsessed with trying to recreate the good old days of the past, rather than boldly approaching an uncharted future. Saint Martin’s could have been consumed with conflict that pitted neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother[9].  Saint Martin’s bushel could be all about being the dream church where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average[10].

Here’s the thing though about bushels, we are not doomed to let them define us.  We can only block out the light when we believe reasons why God couldn’t possibly act in our own church or our own lives. 

Mary Poplin grew up in a Methodist Church[11].  Mary’s church growing up didn’t look all that different from Saint Martin’s.  Mary only went to church because her father made her.  Mary found the church services boring and irrelevant to her life. 

Mary enrolls in a college where a new world presents itself to her[12].  Mary saw all kinds of new ways in which to engage the world around her: be more sophisticated, intelligent, and fashionable.  Mary’s such a good student that she eventually gets into graduate school.  Mary sees a former world of church and family that she wants no part of to be replaced with a more exciting world of booze, drugs, sex, and deeper intellectual discussions than she ever heard at her tiny, little Methodist church.

By the age of 41, Mary shows all the signs of being very successful by the world’s standards.  She’s a tenured professor at an elite college.  Mary had ditched God and seemed to be the better for it.

One day into Mary’s class walks a graduate student named John.  John was different, but Mary couldn’t quite tell how.  Whereas many of Mary’s students were angry at the world for all its perceived aggression, John seemed to be at peace[13].

Even after John graduates, Mary would call on his help from time to time[14].  Several years later John and Mary reconnect.  John senses Mary is lost with her place in the world.  John offers to walk alongside her.  Mary was at first taken back by John’s offer.  But soon, Mary has a dream where she encounters Jesus at the Last Supper that she needs someone to tell.  John listens to Mary talk about her strange dream.  John then suggests that Mary starts reading the Bible. The good word begins to change Mary slowly.  Mary soon after that returns to her Texas childhood home. Mary decides to attend church with her mother once again, doing everything she had previously rebelled.  The Pastor then offers for anyone to receive communion who believes that Jesus Christ died for their sins.  Mary Poplin went forward on this day[15].

Here’s the thing about John.  John was not a religious scholar, nor did he come from a particularly privileged place in life. John was like one of the crowd folks listening to Jesus give the Sermon on the Mount.  John was sent into Mary Poplin’s life to be her light. 

“The light shines in the darkness and the darkness hasn’t overcome it”- John 1:5.

We will ultimately never change the world because we are great examples of anything, we are merely able to let our light shine before others because we have confidence in the promises of the Gospel to do as they say.  We become light only when we believe that the promises of Christ’s forgiveness are truly given unto us.  We become light because the Good News of the Gospel changes us as weak as we on our own might be.  The truth is a little bit of light can change a dark, dark world.

Let me close with one final story to illustrate this.  Thomas Clarkson was a deacon in the Anglican Church who never became a priest[16].  Thomas Clarkson though had one conviction that guided him that the slave trade was a great moral evil.  So Clarkson along with several Quakers decide to form a small committee which holds its first meeting at a bookstore. The odds seemed overwhelming; slavery was a big business which had been a relatively undisputed tenant of western civilization for generations. 

Clarkson though believed the cost of inaction was greater than the cost of action especially if his action could save the life of another.

Clarkson began distributing pamphlets and speaking all throughout England denouncing the slave trade[17].  Clarkson soon became many people’s public enemy number #1.  Clarkson describes the beginning of his journey being marked with “fear” and “trembling” over what lied ahead. 

The tide soon turned.  A little bit of light began shining in the darkness[18].  Petitions soon started making their way to parliament, British MPS soon started to convert to Clarkson’s cause.  People soon started boycotting sugar which fueled the slave trade. Within five years of the first meeting, the public had turned in Clarkson’s favor.  Years after setting out with a seemingly impossible cause, slavery would become outlawed in Thomas Clarkson’s Great Britain.

My point for this morning is this.  Darkness and death are never certain.  Saint Martin’s Lutheran Church only proceeded to die when they believed that light could no longer shine.  Mary Poplin thought she had left her former religion behind, right until a guy named John brought light into her life.  Thomas Clarkson believed that a little bit of light could even change the whole world regardless of what anyone else believed.  You see darkness and death are never certain.  Jesus promises that on days such as this one a little bit of light is always going to shine.  Amen


[1] The following is a re-telling based on David Rigg’s “A Church That Needs A Funeral” sermon found on Sermon Central given on April 19th, 2009 and retrieved on January 30th, 2017. 
[2] Rigg, David. “A Church That Needs a Funeral”. 
[3] Rainer, Thom S. Autopsy of a Deceased Church:12 Ways To Keep Yours Alive.  B&H Publishing. Nashville. 2014.  Print.P.87. 
[4] Matthew 5:13-20. 
[5] Matthew 5:14 a, Matthew 5:16.
[6] Zahl, David. “NBW on How the Light Gets Out”. MBIRD(Mockingbird Ministries). 14.Jun.2014. Web. Jan.30.2017.  The following is an excerpt from Nadia Bolz Weber’s “Sermon on that special class of salty, light-bearing people to whom Jesus preaches.” Published on Patheos on Feburary 13th, 2014. 
[7] Oden, Amy. “Commentary on Matthew 5:13-20.” Working Preacher. Luther Seminary. Saint Paul. 09.Feb.2014. Web. Jan.30.2017.
[8] Oden, Amy. “Commentary on Matthew 5:13-20.”
[9] The following paragraph is a mix of Oden’s commentary with Rainer’s book. 
[10] Garrison Keilor description of Lake Wobegon.
[11] Poplin, Mary. “The Unlikely Conversion of a Radical Scholar.” The Well (Intervarsity). 09.Dec.2008. Web. Jan.30.2017.  
[12] Poplin, Mary. “The Unlikely Conversion of a Radical Scholar.”
[13] Poplin, Mary. “The Unlikely Conversion of a Radical Scholar.”
[14] Poplin, Mary. “The Unlikely Conversion of a Radical Scholar.”
[15] Poplin, Mary. “The Unlikely Conversion of a Radical Scholar.”
[16] Stories for Preaching. “The End of Slavery” . Web. Retrieved on January 30th, 2017. 
[17]   Stories for Preaching. “The End of Slavery.”
[18]   Stories for Preaching. “The End of Slavery.”