Sermons
"Heavenly Assurance?"Pastor Ken Hilston |
The Easter season reminds us that in the faith, we are to think big, even beyond the normal everyday boundaries of life that Jesus conquered. The normal excuses for what the faith calls for, are neglected and not applicable. They are no longer acceptable. The Easter season is refreshing in that boundary freeing excitement: when our Lord calls us to duty, it can be done, thy will, will be done. Now the tasks in the faith seem so glorious and so easy. All the mundane difficulties of life seem to be put aside.
However, it is so hard for our sinful self, to distinguish the life-giving power of the faith, from open ended, self-centered dreaming, "whatever I want to have happen, can happen! All I have to do is think big! I just have to want it badly enough!"
I heard a young lady talking about her rather significant accomplishment to a reporter. She wrote a book at age 13. When asked about the lessons of life she learned writing and publishing her book, she said something to the effect that "if you want something badly enough, and work at it with all that you have, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to." This was her motivation to us; the encouragement to get ahead; her example. All that you really lack is the desire and effort. There are no limitations or boundaries. Of course, "anything," is a very BIG WORD!
We like to be told, there is nothing we can't accomplish. That is quite intoxicating. And, of course, some of that is good advice. But you do not get to be my age without realizing rather quickly, there are many things I could never do, even if I had three lifetimes to prepare.
Because my mother was a great pianist, she hoped I could take up the piano. I tried, I really tried, but after a point, I knew, it was not going to work. There was no way I could ever please her on the piano, no way I could play the piano the way my mother did, the touch, the phrasing, the technical skill, and the way she could just look at a new piece of music, and start to play it. The trumpet was better, but I knew, there were limitations to how far it could take me. Of course, I also know no one will ever confuse me with Fred Astaire, maybe Laurel and Hardy. Grace like Fred Astaire's cannot just be practiced.
In all these areas, because I could not accomplish what I really worked hard at, if I believed what the writer said, I could only feel guilty for not accomplishing those goals. We know, none of us can do everything, or just anything. We all have limitations. Just because one person can do something, doesn't mean everybody can.
Now, the sermon is not so much on limitations, which we never want to hear about and shun those who remind us, as it is on who chooses which are the grand tasks of the faith that will be called for, and accomplished, with faith, with prayer and with hard work.
The faith is never just inspiration to think any marvelous thought and carry it through to a successful conclusion. Adam and Eve had a grand dream, to become partners with the Lord God, but it was not their calling, their vocation. They forgot to ask God if He wanted partners. As exhilarating as it was, it was also totally in opposition to what our Lord God commanded.
Abraham thought at age 75 he had accomplished much. However until he found out from the Lord God what he was to do, he hadn't even started on his faith journey, which seemed way beyond his reach. Surprised by the faith, He would ascend higher than what he put his mind to.
The Easter faith is powerful, but not for just any activity, that I choose! Which I guess, is the biggest limitation of all! More often than not, the strength of the Easter faith is the hard work used to handle the problems of the faith, living in this strange, sin-filled world, with very little of it being romantic, majestic or even exhilarating. Even now, the sin of Good Friday still clings closely to our Easter life.
Today's Acts of the Apostles' text ends with the stoning of Stephen but this section begins with quarreling in the church, prompting a major and a minor crisis. It was Stephen who was proclaimed to be a Prophet, full of wisdom and Spirit, filled with the ability to do great signs and wonders. This Easter resume filled with excitement and grandeur leads him not into an easy life, but into a very rough battle where he will not win the day, but that is the unworldly power of the Easter faith, totally lacking in glamour and chest-thumping pride of normal victories.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide the birth of this new church, built upon our resurrected Lord, in the real world, runs up against all the forces of sin that happens when people live, work, and even pray together. As Stephen eventually found out, there are forces outside AND inside the faith, that impinge heavily upon the faith. Jealousy, power and politics play a role wherever people gather together. Facing this crisis, Stephen will pay with his life, obviously not what Stephen hoped would happen, not what he envisioned from living out a joyous Easter faith.
We begin with the faith very unromantically, and most realistically facing the crises, inside the church, caused by the church, with real everyday problems. How does worship, and reliance upon the gifts of the faith, address everyday failures and squabbles, the usual grind of life that the faith tries to rise above and ignore as beneath its dignity?
Though the faith would rather aspire to more lofty goals, Stephen's church has a problem that is very earthy, ugly, but real and significant. The most marginal members of the Christian community are not receiving their fair share of the distribution of food. You would think this could easily be done, fairly! After all, it is the Church, the early church!
Like a snowball rolling down a hill, the problem grows and intensifies, spreading its tentacles out in many directions. The Christian fellowship they prided themselves on, was splitting apart, when the Hellenists and Hebrews started pointing fingers at each other. That problem has to be addressed that directly affected Stephen, the deep frustration of the apostles. Trying to balance their Christian vocation with everyday problems, in an ever growing church, they cried out, "it is not right that we should neglect the word of God to wait on tables." (Acts 6:2)
Now we see the Easter faith is called to confront very undignified problems, not the usual lofty aspirations of the faith that one dreams about taking care of. This was not what they would have chosen to practice their new resurrection faith upon. YET, this is what the faith challenged them to take care of, here and now. The faith could not allow them to ignore these very real needs. Other deeds of faith might appear more fascinating and irresistible, but this was it, for now, the faith dealing with what seems most mundane and unattractive, but important.
This is a far cry from the exhilaration of Easter Sunday's victory over imposing life-threatening odds. A Christian community that prided itself upon equal sharing of possessions, faces the ugly truth that the heart of their identity was shattering over the rock of its most vulnerable members, their displaced widows. This shared community, has a hard time sharing, equitably. Their shared witness to the rest of society is falling apart.
So, this is where their Easter faith leads them to do battle. Their Easter faith gives them no choice! This is what they are called to tackle, now. This cannot be ignored. The church was growing, expanding, and their growth pains were primary. The everyday problems demanded immediate attention, before they could go on to more lofty aspirations.
Therefore, the Twelve brought the people together to deal with their crises. Their solution: have the people choose seven from among themselves to work with the problem, people of "good repute, full of the spirit." One of the seven, "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit," was Stephen. The faith called him from, away from his previous chosen place, to help alleviate the problems. Shortly, the word of God increased, numbers of disciples multiplied and more were obedient to the faith, with "Stephen, full of grace and power, (who) did great wonders and signs among the people."
Others however, disputed with Stephen and sought to destroy him, with false witnesses and false charges. Stirring up the people, Stephen is arrested, again not what Stephen expected or looked forward to in the faith. Starting with the mundane, he has graduated to having his life threatened. His spiritual authority has placed him on the front lines trying to refute lies and underhanded tricks, while witnessing to the vast history of the faith.
Filled with the Easter faith, his speech tells the truth, which makes no positive impact upon the crowds. It just infuriates them. He will be covered in glory, but a costly and deadly glory. His face is said to be like an angel, but it does not prevent him from being stoned. Maybe it should not be surprising that the Easter faith still has its strong connections to Good Friday.
As Easter is not only a past event, neither are the powers and forces that brought about Good Friday, not shut up in the past. As the first Easter came with a horrific cost, still does often living by the power of an Easter faith, bring a glory tinged with deceit and unbridled force used against it.
Mustering up the sense of our Lord from Good Friday, Stephen facing death, examples our Lord from the cross, forgiving his persecutors. Not only are our Easter faith challenges and crises we face, chosen for us by the faith, but the Good Friday cost of the Easter faith is never too far removed. There is a glory, but that glory that Stephen received, a heavenly assurance vision of our Lord seated on high, instead of preventing it, came while he was being killed, to help him face, not rise beyond the stoning.
Truly the Easter faith is powerful. However it is not usually what we want, since its power is there because of the magnitude of the tasks it faces. We marvel and glow because of its power, but easily forget the cross bearing, Good Friday discipleship it demands.
It is most sobering that neither Good Friday or Easter, are that far apart. BUT, the good news is the Easter faith is not that far removed from all the Good Fridays we face. Yes we can accomplish anything, our Lord calls us to do, even those that have the tentacles of Good Friday wrapped around it. The anything we can do, seldom is filled with a crossless glory! Ask our Lord. Ask Stephen. AMEN