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SERMONS:
Pastor Peg posts her two most recent sermons on this page. If you are interested in reading more of her sermons you can go to pastorpeg.wordpress.com. Our first sermon series of the year is Walking with Jesus. Enjoy.
Whose/Who is Authority?
February 2, 2025 4th Sunday of Epiphany Communion
1 John 4: 1-6 Luke 4:31-37
When I was in the middle of my ministry process, the minister at my church decided that it was time for him to retire. He was in his 60s and had been doing ministry for over 40 years. When he made the announcement from the pulpit that this was his retirement year, a parishioner who was sitting next to my mother turned to her and said, “Oh good! Now your daughter can be our minister.”
Well, no. In the Methodist system you’re not appointed to your home church. The parishioner asked me later why I couldn't be the next minister, and I said, “Have you ever heard the expression: A prophet is never accepted in their hometown?” She said yes, and I said, “Well, I love my hometown but a lot of people in this church remember me when I was much younger. Sometimes it's hard for people to accept you as an authority figure because a part of them still sees you as that scrappy little kid or teenager.”
Today’s story takes place after Jesus has been baptized, done his fasting in the desert, and then begins to preach throughout Galilee. But the first preaching event that Luke tells us about happens before this one, in Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth.
Jesus probably went back to visit his family, and the people in the town have heard about him becoming a holy man, so they invite him into the synagogue to lead worship. A traditional synagogue had a platform in front where the Torah would be kept and read from. The people sat in a U shape around it and the rabbi would read the scripture and then would comment on it. Then he would sit down in front, and there would be a question, answer, and discussion session. But Jesus doesn't give them some nice affirming statements. Instead, he challenges them, stating that God exists for everyone, not just the Jewish people. The crowd gets upset at this and dismiss him by saying that he’s just Joseph the carpenter’s son. And that’s when he comments that a prophet is never accepted in their hometown. They get so mad that they grab a hold of him and drag him out of town, intending to throw him off of a cliff, but Jesus walks away from them.
The next town he goes to is Capernaum, where we have a completely contrasting series of events. Peter and several other disciples are from Capernaum, so perhaps the elders knew one of the disciples and through him invited Jesus to speak at the synagogue on the Sabbath. The reception in Capernaum is completely opposite from what he experienced in Nazareth. It says in the scriptures that they were astounded at his teaching because he spoke with authority.
Okay – let’s take a pause here and ask: What would make us think that someone has authority and why would we accept them as an authority? To evaluate authority, I think that most of us look for three things: Tradition, education, and experience.
Tradition has to do with inheritance and culture. If a younger member takes over the family business, I am probably going to accept that they have the authority to do so because I assume that they were probably trained by the family to run the company. You do learn things by osmosis when you grow up in a family. I’m not a lawyer, but I have family members who are, and I’ve learned some stuff about the law by listening to them.
And that comes to our second element which is education. Besides being a minister, I am also an authority on teaching English because I was trained to teach English and ESL. Education teaches us what we’ll have to do in your profession. I think my training kept me from making a lot of mistakes when I first started in teaching and then ministry. But like anything, the more you practice something the better you get at it, and that’s your experience. I was a much better teacher ten years down the road than when I started. The same for my ministry.
Jesus had tradition because he was related to the house of David on his father’s side, his mother Mary was from a priestly family, and his cousin John was considered to be a prophet. We already saw that he was very well educated in scripture by the time he was twelve and talking to the teachers in the Temple. I think the surprise for the elders in Capernaum is that Jesus is just starting out as a rabbi and holy man. Remember I said that people didn’t become holy men until they were thirty, because before that age it was considered that they didn’t have enough life experience? Even though Jesus doesn’t have a lot of known experience, his teaching is compelling and relevant for someone so young in his profession.
The people are impressed, but then they become even more impressed when the man possessed by a demon makes an uproar and Jesus heals him. This is the first recorded healing that Luke tells us about and since it happens on holy ground it helps to legitimize Jesus’ ministry. After Jesus heals the man with a demon, he also heals Simon-Peter's mother-in-law who is suffering from a high fever, and then the word gets out and many people from the community come to him with their illnesses and he heals each of them.
It's such an interesting contrast between the failure of being taken seriously in his hometown and then the success and the acceptance of him as a legitimate holy man in Capernaum. I think that Luke deliberately puts these two incidences back-to-back because he’s showing us that not everyone accepted Jesus. There were people who just didn't think that he was legitimate. But in many ways, those were the people who wanted him to be something that he wasn't. They wanted him to speak a very traditional line that the Jewish people were the chosen ones of God and that the gentiles were the bad guys. But that wasn’t the message that Jesus conveyed. Jesus says: God loves all of us, every single one of us. Both Jews and gentiles are now accepted into God's great covenant. It is no longer a covenant for just a certain group of people who live on a certain point of real estate. It is now for everyone in the entire world.
Some people were going to accept that, and some people weren't. But it is from this point forward that Jesus' ministry really begins in Luke’s gospel. And for the next few chapters there is the continual establishment of Jesus as our spiritual authority figure.
In John’s letter, he tells us that we need to test the spirit. In other words, we need to confront authority and see if it's legitimately from God. We should examine and see if this is an idea we should subscribe to; or a lifestyle that we should follow; or a person that we should trust. John says that not every spirit is from God and it's up to us to test the authority or the validity what is presented to us.
We can start by measuring with tradition, education and experience. For tradition asks if this is something that is culturally acceptable. For education, do some research about the idea, lifestyle, or person. And finally, what is the experience and results of the idea, lifestyle or person.
But the last thing about authority is that it’s consensual. We agree to allow someone to have authority over us; we accept their guidance and leadership. Each of us must decide if we will allow an idea, lifestyle, or person to lead us.
For Christians our testing must look at authority through the values of Christ. Does this idea lead to more compassion and justice in the world? Is this way of living promoting equality and fairness? And is this person intent on giving grace to people by promoting generous actions of compassion, or are they inflicting negativity on others and on our society at large?
We accept Christ as our spiritual and moral authority because not only did he preach these values, he also lived them. And 2,000 years has shown us, even through all the crazy up and down history of Christianity, that when we do live the values of Christ the world does become a better place. We do make a stronger society that lives with equality and justice for all. And compassion and generosity make us stronger as a people. When you read the Gospels, you can see that Jesus stood up for those who did not have privileged and encouraged people to act with fairness and justice. And his generosity in healing, in forgiving, and in telling people that they were all loved by God gives us all hope and keeps us from despair.
So, choose Christ as your ultimate authority. When you do you will know that you are from God, and you will know and be living in the spirit of truth.
Tempted, But Strong
January 26, 2025 3rd Sunday of Epiphany
James 1:13-18 Luke 4:1-13
We all encounter people, things, or situations that are going to entice us to do things that inflict negativity on ourselves or each other. In other words, we all have to deal with temptation.
Even Jesus had to deal with temptation. And that is a comfort to me because the fact that he had to deal with temptation, even though he was the son of God, tells me that God gets us because, through Jesus, He fully experienced what we experience.
Now most of us, when we are tempted, are not going to meet the devil face to face like Jesus did. But as James says, God doesn’t tempt us, the Devil does in myriad forms through our desires. This story gives us clues of what temptation looks like and how it’s delivered.
Jesus had been fasting for 40 days. A usual thing for people who had dedicated themselves to holy living to do. Usually, people did it at home, or at the Temple, or the local synagogue. People lived on a limited amount of bread and could drink water. The objective wasn’t to starve yourself, but to simplify your diet and spend your time praying, meditating, and reading scripture. The 40 days of fasting mirrored the 40 years in the wilderness that the Israeli’s had to go through to purify themselves from the sins that they carried over from Egypt.
Jesus however is doing something that was more common among more serious practitioners. He went out into the wilderness. He would have found a relatively comfortable place next to some water, and then prayed and meditated for 40 days.
But no matter how prepared you are, after a 40 day fast, Jesus has pushed himself to his physical and mental limit. He’s very weak and painfully hungry. He is probably doubting who he is because one of the purposes of a fast is to examine all your beliefs and the doubts that you have about them. Since you don’t have any distractions, you deconstruct yourself and you ask: What is really me and what is society’s construct of me?
At this point Jesus is at his most vulnerable when he is tempted. And that is the same for all of us. I have a sweet tooth and when I go to the grocery store, I’m always tempted by those rows of candy that are by the checkout counter. There’s a little whisper in my brain that says, Wouldn’t a Reese‘s peanut butter cup be perfect right now? Now if my sugar level is pretty good, I can tell myself that too much sugar is not good for me and I don’t need this right now. The temptation is easy to turn away from. However, if my sugar level low, I’m going to have a harder time resisting that Reese’s peanut butter cup, even though I know I shouldn’t eat it.
Which leads to Jesus’ first temptation: Turning the stone into bread. This temptation represents our physical needs and things that will make us feel good. (Like my Reece’s peanut butter cup.) Now I admit that for some people a peanut butter cup isn’t going to be an inflection of negativity. It might not be the best thing for you but it’s not the worst. But if your slightly diabetic, which I am, then I am inflicting negativity on my pancreas and myself.
But why do we fall into temptation? Why do I sometimes really want that candy bar and are able to resist it and other times I'm not? Well, I think that one of the reasons why is our focus. When we're focused on short term gratification or pleasure then we're more likely to fall into temptation. If I happen to be really hungry I'm going to go ahead and buy the Reese’s. But if we focus on a longer-term goal that will provide gratification for a greater amount of time or a greater purpose, then we're able to resist temptation. So if I can keep in mind that I want to stay healthy for a long time, then, even if I'm hungry, I'm less likely to eat the peanut butter cup.
I think this is what Jesus means when he says that we don't live by bread alone. We don't live just to gratify our physical desires. We should be living to support long-term, positive actions that will give us joy through a greater purpose. But that requires us to spend some time thinking about what is important in our lives on a long-term, not a short-term basis. What was Jesus thinking about for 40 days? I think he took the time to look at what his long-term goals and the greater purpose was in his life.
The second temptation has to do with what we worship. The devil takes him to a high place and shows him all the kingdoms of the world that he can have if Jesus worships him and not God. What are all the kingdoms of the world going to get you? Glory and power. Glory being that people will remember you forever and ever. And power gives you the ability to do whatever you want, whether it's good or bad, in life.
When you worship glory and power, when you put them in the center of your life, you are essentially worshipping the Devil. During Jesus' life there were many people who strove for glory and power. Both Herod the Great and Augustus Caesar embarked on amazing building projects, because they believed that if people saw those buildings they would be remembered forever and ever for their great deeds. And yet 2,000 years later how do we principally remember them? We remember them because they lived at the same time as the son of a Jewish carpenter, who became a holy man, who preached a way of living mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually which was so radical and different, that he was put to death so that his movement would be forgotten. We don't celebrate Herod's birthday or Augustus’ birthday. We don't celebrate their deaths and resurrection. And we don't try to live their philosophies of life.
Actually, there is nothing wrong with power, as long as you use it to bring love and positivity into the world. There's nothing wrong with glory, but it's not something to be chased; it's something that's given to you when you put your energy forward for other people. Mother Teresa is the only foreigner to ever be given a state funeral in India. That glory was given to her because she helped so many people and changed how people thought about the poor.
So how do we worship God? Well, through prayer, scripture, meditation, going to church, but most importantly by loving, caring for, and being kind to people. God is a huge dynamic force of the universe. It’s hard to show our love for him, but we can show it by loving his creation. Being kind to others is one of the greatest ways that we can love and serve God.
The third temptation is about testing God. The devil wants Jesus to throw himself off of the highest physical point in the area, which happens to be the Jewish temple. He tells him, if you jump, since you’re God’s son, He’s going make sure that his angels will catch you and that you won't be injured. But Jesus says: We should not put God to the test. But how do you put God to the test? Well, we test God by being disobedient to him. OK God, I'm going to steal something because I want it, and I don't care who it belongs to. If you don't want me to do this then hit me with a bolt of lightning. Oh, I haven't been hit with a bolt of lightning. Well God, you must not be real.
There is a part of us that wants to have that tangible proof that God is real, and we look for that proof of His existence in our lives. And I believe that God made in humans the needs to test boundaries, because that’s the way we grow and learn. But God doesn’t want us to just go out there and recklessly do things; He gave us the ability to reason after all. God wants us to think about what we’re doing and the consequences of it.
What good would it have done Jesus had thrown himself off the high point of the temple? Well, it would have drawn attention to him in all the wrong ways. People would have followed him because he miraculously survived and because he was some sort of miracle working magician. I'm not saying Jesus's miracles weren't important, but they supported his message of love and compassion. Of caring for your neighbor. Of telling people that they had a second chance through forgiveness and redemption, and that they weren't stuck in one place forever. Jesus took the long road of walking around Israel and teaching person by person, town by town, crowd by crowd, his message. Again, short-term gratification versus the long-term goals and purpose.
So here are a few things to think about the next time you find yourself being tempted. Take a breath and ask: Is this a short-term gratification, or does it serve a long term purpose and goal? Are you doing this for your own glory, or to give yourself more power to serve yourself? Or are you seeking to clarify something bigger than yourself and are you seeking to serve others with kindness? Are your efforts getting the message you want to across in a short-term or a lasting way? And what is the positivity that you're going to give to those around you? If it's a negative, then it's probably not coming from God.
As James said: Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. When we resist temptation to build something positive and long-lasting, we are working to build His kingdom. So go out there and be Jesus’ warriors who fight against the dark and bring forward the light!