December 27, 2020 - A Requiem for 2020

This service can be viewed at the following links - 

Facebook - 

https://www.facebook.com/david.p.charlton.9/videos/10164609135290298 

Vimeo - 

https://vimeo.com/495041664?fbclid=IwAR0-Mnhe7pmOWiYcWhS3xJM1H28CHoV_BFEavlbeu8zYVVJHYTABZJdvbC4

Sunday Morning Worship, December 27, 2020

 

A Requiem for 2020

As I have been saying in the past few weeks, today’s service has the theme of a Requiem for 2020. As we have been through so much this year, it seemed a helpful idea to have a service where we speak the names of those we have lost, where we speak of the elements of life that we have lost, and to look forward in hope.

We will light 4 candles this morning.  They are the Candle of Grief, the Candle of Strength, the Candle of Promise, and the Candle of Eternal Life. 

 

The Candle of Grief

 

Compounding the loss that so many have experienced this year were that limitations that were placed on funeral and memorial services.  We understand those limitations were necessary, but the result was that many families could not receive friends during a visitation and many people could not attend the service of their loved one.  The first funeral I officiated after the beginning of the pandemic was a graveside service, limited to 10 people, including myself.  As I conducted the service, a person held an iPad so that other family members could watch the service.  I’m grateful they were able to see the service, but it was painful as well, knowing that so many could not be there in person.  And in other services, to look out at a gathering of people who had to sit apart, which made it harder for them to comfort one another, and made the process of grief so much harder.

A passage that I read at many funerals is the 23^rdpsalm, which I will read at this time – 

 

¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

 

A number of people turned in names they wanted to add to the list of those lost in 2020.  Here are the names we received – 

*THE NAMES HAVE BEEN REMOVED FOR THIS POST

 

We light the Candle of Grief this morning, a reminder of the many losses we have shared, and as we light it, we turn to God for the needed and promised comfort (LIGHT CANDLE).

 

The Candle of Strength

 

It was not only family, loved ones, and friends that we lost in 2020. We suffered many other losses as well. With so much loss, it is easy to believe we do not have the strength to continue.  God promises, however, to provide the strength we need to continue, and we turn to Isaiah 40:1, 28-31 as a reminder of that promise.

 

¹ Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.

²⁸ Do you not know?Have you not heard?The Lord is the everlasting God,the Creator of 

   the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary,and his understanding no one 

   can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the wearyand increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lordwill renew their strength. They will soar on wings like 

   eagles;they will run and not grow weary,they will walk and not be faint.

 

Asking people to share what they have lost in 2020, we received these responses – 

 

I grieve the lost opportunity in 2020 to help needy people because of the fear of Covid.  I am praying the virus will soon be just a memory and I can reach out when needed. That also includes being more involved with my church

Church camp

A lot of our mercy and kindness

Vacation Bible School

Trip to the Christian Appalachian Project

18 Sundays of worship services

The Wednesday evening fellowship meals were a great blessing, and I 

     look forward to them resuming

The choir

The loss of a loved one's memory

I have missed having communion.  I’m tired of my communion 

     element substitutions.  Goldfish crackers just don’t seem right.

I missed my loved one’s funeral

My family could not take a vacation

Easter Sunday and all the activities

The Easter play

In-person Sunday School

I lost my job

The Easter sunrise service and breakfast

My kids have lost a year of school

Maundy Thursday

Not being able to visit in the hospitals or nursing homes

The warmth of a firm handshake or a friendly smile, or even a hug

Wednesday night potlucks

I did not get to go see my mom

Live praise band music filling the room

Smiles, handshakes, and hugs

Going out to eat with friends and family 

Enjoying the fellowship at Easter breakfast

The Easter Sunrise service

I’m mourning the loss of time:  time with friends, grandkids, church.  

     Time we will never have again.

I did not get to visit with my family who live out of state

Visits with my 92-year-old dad who lives in a western Kentucky 

     assisted living facility. My only contact with him for nearly a year 

     is emails and phone calls.

Physically being in church on Sunday. 

Not being able to participate in many Outreach ministries because of 

     new safe-health rules and regulations.

Monthly breakfasts with my sisters and four-hour car rides (one way) 

     to visit our dad.

Family gatherings. There are nearly 40 of us. I haven’t seen most since 

     last Christmas.

Monthly lunches with college roommates.

Doing spontaneous activities. Now everything needs to be coordinated 

     to ensure minimum contact with crowds. 

I have lost far too much of my idealism, my hope, and my positive 

     outlook.

 

We light the Candle of Strength this morning, a reminder that while the year has been so trying, God provides the strength we need (LIGHT CANDLE).

 

The Candle of Promise

 

All of us have faced the difficulty of separation this year.  We have been separated from our friends and loved ones, unable to visit with them, unable to share special events, unable to go out to dinner, and unable to shake someone’s hand or enjoy a hug of greeting. We were not able to sit with those we love while they were hospitalized, and we could not hold their hand as they passed from this life to the next.  We have so longed to be together, and to end the separations.

As Paul reminds us in Romans chapter 8, we are never separated from the care and the love of God.  We will be able to gather again, the separations will end, and it will be a testimony to God’s promise of us bringing together.

 

²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have 

   been called according to his purpose.

³¹ What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be 

   against us? 

³² He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, 

   along with him, graciously give us all things? 

³⁵ Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution 

   or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 

³⁷ …in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the 

   present nor the future, nor any powers, 

³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us 

   from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

We light the Candle of Promise this morning, a reminder that though we have been separated, the bond of God’s love reminds us that we are never truly apart (LIGHT CANDLE).

 

The Candle of Eternal Life

 

The great hope that faith brings to us is that this life is not the end. There is more for us than just the brief time that we have in this temporal world.  Aftert our final breath in this life, we take our first breath in eternity.  When we close our eyes in this life, we open our eyes to all the beauty of eternity. When we step from this life into the next, we enjoy the blessed reunion with those who have gone on before, where all is made new, and all grief comes to an end.  As John writes in Revelation 21:1-7,

 

¹ Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had 

   passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 

² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared 

  as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now 

  among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself 

  will be with them and be their God. 

⁴ ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or 

  crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, 

 “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

⁶ He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. 

  To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 

⁷ Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my

  children.

 

We light the Candle of Eternal Life this morning, as a reminder death is not the end, and that God has the final word, and that word is life!  (LIGHT CANDLE).

 

Message – Dave Charlton

 

Message Title – Remember, Always Remember.

 

Scripture Reading – Philippians 4:4-9

 

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

⁸ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 

⁹ Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

 

As I watched a bit of the news the other morning, they were presenting a year in review.  As it has been such a different year, the review was different as well; it was all bad news.  Which can make one ask, in 2020, is there any other kind of news?  Honestly, as I listened to the review, I was surprised at how many things I had forgotten about that took place this year.  And all of them difficult.  I kept saying to myself, that was this year?  I thought that was 2 or 3 years ago.  It was an impressively awful list, and all of it in one year!

     

We are here this morning, preparing to say goodbye to 2020, the year that is ending so different from how it began, and looking like the year that no one will miss.  How could we miss a year with so much difficulty, and so much suffering?

     

The Scripture text I chose for this morning is one that fits perfectly for our time.  Paul was writing in the midst of a truly awful time.  He was a prisoner of Rome.  His journey to Rome was one that was full of difficulty and hardship, and when he arrived, it did not get any better.  There was no hope for his future, and by the time of writing he certainly knew the outcome that was ahead for him.  And yet, in spite of everything, his writing is so full of joy and hope that his letter has become known as the letter of joy. How can such joy come from the midst of so much sorrow?

     

It is, for one, a matter of perspective.  Paul says we should think about whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.  It’s not always easy to think about the positives when you are in the middle of such difficulty, but if Paul could do it, then so can we.  We can choose our perspective about this year, and about these circumstances.  We can be bitter – and there is plenty that can make us bitter – or we can be joyful.  We can be angry – and there is plenty that can make us angry – or we can be grateful. 

     

Paul says to rejoice in the Lord always.  For good measure, he says it a second time –I will say it again: Rejoice!  I believe Paul said it a second time because he knew he was writing to people who were at least somewhat skeptical of how anyone could rejoice in such a time.  How can we be joyful in such a time as this?  How can we be joyful when we have been unable to be with loved ones in the hospital, or the nursing home?  How can we be joyful when we have been unable to gather with family for holidays and important occasions?  How can we be joyful when we have missed so much, and lost so much?  How can we be joyful when there seems so little about this year that brings us joy?  

     

But somewhere down the road of time, maybe not for a while, but at some point, we will realize there were some things about this year that were not bad, but good.  I think about an Easter that, while very different, held a lot of meaning.  I will remember coming into the sanctuary on Easter morning, feeling bad about all the empty seats and canceled services and activities, and then I found the pictures and the messages that were taped to the chairs.  That was a really comforting and uplifting moment, and it will be an Easter memory that I will never forget.  I will remember that, while so much was canceled, I was home more in the evenings than I had been in a long time.  I was home with my family more than I had been in a long time, and for that, I am very grateful.  As we moved toward the end of the year, I had a feeling of dread over what we all knew would be a very different Advent and Christmas season.  It was different, yes, but it was also calmer, more hopeful, and touching in a way that it had not been for some time, to me, and I imagine to you as well.  It was an Advent when we feared we could not have what we were accustomed to having, such as a Christmas play.  But with some creativity and ingenuity, we pulled it off, and in the Christmas’s to come we will say, remember the year when the play was mostly by video, and we had to organize by family groups, and very little of it was live?  And how so much could have gone wrong, but didn’t? Remember how it worked really well? Remember that?  And though our attendance has been so diminished by the pandemic, the livestream has increased the reach of our worship service.  Our Christmas Eve service has now been viewed more then 1,400 times on Facebook.   

     

And we will always, of course, remember those whom we have lost.  We will mourn those losses for all of our days, but as we look back on those friends, and those loved ones, we will also look forward in hope, holding to the promise that we will see them again.  And we will then hold more closely, and more hopefully, to those words of Paul, and the God of peace will be with you.  May God’s peace be with us, today, tomorrow, and all days.

 

 

 

 

December 24, 2020, Christmas Eve Worship Service

Our Christmas Eve worship service can be viewed on Facebook here - 

https://www.facebook.com/david.p.charlton.9/videos/10164599062320298

Here is the text of my message that evening - 

Opening Meditation

This evening’s service is a bit different from our usual Christmas Eve worship, both in structure and circumstance.  And why not, since everything else about this year has been different? In other years, our service was based upon the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a Christmas Eve tradition of King’s College, Cambridge.  That service was begun in 1918 by a new young chaplain just returned from the battlegrounds of World War I.  In that first service he prayed, “Let us remember before God all those who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light…”

 

This evening, as we gather, we are missing some of those who rejoiced with us in years past.  They have moved on to that other shore, and now live in that greater light.  We miss them so much, but we take comfort in the promise that they have now taken their part, as described by the book of Hebrews, in that great cloud of witnesses that surround us.  While not with us in a visible, tangible way, we know they are with us, nonetheless.  

 

The pandemic has taken a great toll on us, taking loved ones from us, creating an economic fallout that has fallen hard upon so many, and has torn our social fabric, while removing so many of the cherished traditions and practices from our lives.

 

But we gather here this evening, a few of us in-person, and many more connected through technology, in part to proclaim that the pandemic will not stop us from celebrating Christmas, nor from proclaiming the Good News that God has entered into the world in the person of Jesus.  In spite of all we have experienced this year, in spite of all the hardships and all the losses, we come this evening with hearts full of hope and expectation.  While Christmas comes this year in the midst of so much hardship and suffering, let us remember that Christmas was born in hardship and suffering.  Mary and Joseph were compelled to travel to Bethlehem, their ancestral city, not because of an opportunity to gather with family and friends, but as a result of the Roman mandate to participate in a census that would add to an already crushing tax burden.  Their journey would be arduous, not only because of Mary’s pregnancy and the difficulty of travel, but because of the interruption to life and livelihood that the trip brought about.  Our presence here this evening is our way of saying to the pandemic, and to all the other interruptions, challenges, and difficulties of life, that hope endures, and it endures every day, and through every circumstance.

 

And now, as we gather here, we rejoice that it is Christmas Eve!  On this Christmas Eve, in this most unusual of years, we ask that God would calm our spirits, still our hearts, and help us to hear the wondrous news that Christ is born.  We pray that when we leave this place, on the cusp of Christmas morning, we will always remember that we go forth under the banner of the Good News of Jesus Christ.  May we carry that Good News always, and may the hope, peace, joy, and love of this Advent season, and all Advent seasons, be with us now, and forevermore.

Christmas Eve Meditation – A Light in the Darkness:  Joy

      

During the months of Advent, I have offered messages on the theme A Light in the Darkness.  The messages are based on the meaning of four of the Advent candles – peace, hope, love, and joy.  The final of those messages is that of joy, and I am offering that message this evening. It will be brief, as we have already had a full service.  

      

In thinking about the Advent services several weeks ago, the idea of joyseemed out of place this year, as 2020 has offered us so few reasons to be joyful.  It has been a tough year, and all of us have suffered a number of losses. We began the year with the hope of a new year, and all the promises and possibilities that a new year brings.  Perhaps 2020 would be our best year ever. Perhaps it would be the year we made a change we knew we needed to make.  Perhaps it would provide us with a needed new beginning.  We certainly didn’t think of it being a year that would bring us so much suffering and so much loss.  It was very early in the year when we began to hear reports of this strange new disease, that came to be known as Covid-19, but we didn’t pay much attention. The first reports came from halfway around the world, where it seemed to be a problem for someone else.  How could it be a concern for us, where it would have to cross oceans and continents?  And then it came closer, but it still seemed too far away to be a concern for us.  And then it arrived on our shores.  Even then, however, we couldn’t grasp what its arrival would mean to us.  In late February, Nick and I accompanied Tanya on what proved to be the last of her business trips for the year.  The final stop of the trip was Orlando, and one day, as we ate lunch, we thought, can you imagine if this disease became serious enough that they had to close these amusement parks for 2 or 3 days?  We couldn’t imagine what was ahead.  None of us could imagine what was ahead.  

      

When first canceled in-person worship, I assumed it would be for 2 weeks, maybe 3.  Certainly, I thought, we would be back by Easter.  When it became obvious that we would not be back for Easter, I began saying we would have our Easter once we got back to church, thinking it would be a week late, maybe 2.  And then the weeks continued to roll on, and as they did, we began to understand in a very real, very painful way what we were up against.  As the weeks continued, the losses began to mount.  At first, most of us didn’t know anyone who had contracted Covid.  Then, as the weeks past, we all knew someone who had, and then we all knew someone who had lost their life to the dreaded disease.  

      

I don’t say all of this to make you feel bad this evening; we all feel plenty bad enough about this year, that’s for sure. I say it, because I want us to remember that in spite of everything that we have experienced this year, in spite of all the losses we have suffered, in spite of the weight we have all felt upon us, God has been with us, and God has been with us in a powerful way, and the reality of God’s presence is a very real reason to rejoice. 

      

So, in spite of what we have been through this year, let us be joyful.  Let us be joyful, as were the shepherds to whom the angels announced the good news of the birth of Jesus.  As Luke writes, ⁸ And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. ¹⁰ And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. ¹¹ For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord(Luke 2:8-11).

      

As the shepherds were watching over their flock, I imagine they were thinking about all their problems and struggles, especially since it was night, and it is the nighttime when our problems and struggles weigh heaviest upon us.  Like us, they probably wondered how they were going to pay their bills.  Like us, they probably missed their families, from whom they surely experienced some amount of separation.

      

And the angels crashed into their worries and their problems and told them to not be afraid, and that there was a reason to be joyful.  That is the exact message we need right now – do not be afraid, and there is a reason to be joyful.  I know it is hard to avoid feeling fearful.  I have been fearful for much of this year.  I will, though, take the angels at their word and believe that we should fear not.  I will fear notbecause we have been given good tidings of great joy– Jesus is born.  That is good news!  That is the best news!  Let us then, in spite of all we have suffered, be joyful tonight, and tomorrow, and every day to come!  

December 20, 2020 - Christmas Play

The year of Covid-19 did not stop our annual Christmas play.  We did a combination of prerecorded video and some live narration.  The video segments were recorded by household groups, in order to maintain health and safety.  The live segments were also by household.  While this meant not everyone could participate, it enabled us to move forward with a play, while keeping everyone safe.  It was a challenge, but thanks to our tech team we were able to pull it off.  You can watch video of the service at the following links - 

Facebook -  https://www.facebook.com/david.p.charlton.9/videos/10164581019460298

Vimeo - 

https://vimeo.com/493172703?fbclid=IwAR20tcaweutOJ94wnv9Ld6V5_TC1_EDkPsi_evWPhDGVEricWP5qcWn6F54

December 13, 2020 - A Light in the Darkness: Love

You can watch video of this service on Vimeo here -

https://vimeo.com/490529971?fbclid=IwAR1v8QDL8PiXxoNJHdltXzpcKzWTRHt333rugO99IdiYq2p_fBEDWBnGhPM

And on Facebook here - 

https://www.facebook.com/david.p.charlton.9/videos/10164554378125298

Before I begin my message, I want to take a few moments and tell you about a project I am working on with four Disciples ministers from around the country.  We are working on a sermon series for the new year based on a Celtic prayer.  The series is titled A New Year, A New Heart.  The prayer it is based on presents these themes, which will be the foundation of the messages – Vision, Light, Wisdom, Courage, and Trust.  Here is the prayer – 

 

Lord of my heart, give me vision to inspire me,

that working or resting, I may always think of you.

Lord of my heart, give me light to guide me,

that at home or abroad I may always walk in your way.

Lord of my heart, give me wisdom to direct me,

that thinking or acting, I may always discern right from wrong.

Lord of my heart, give me courage to strengthen me,

that amongst friends or enemies, I may always proclaim your justice.

Lord of my heart, give me trust to console me,

that hungry or well-fed, I may always rely on your mercy.

Lord of my heart, save me from empty praise,

that I may always boast of you.

Lord of my heart, save me from worldly wealth,

that I may always look to the riches of heaven.

Lord of my heart, save me from military prowess,

that I may always seek your protection.

Lord of my heart, save me from vain knowledge,

that I may always study your word.

Lord of my heart, save me from unnatural pleasures,

that I may always find joy in your wonderful creation.

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall me,

rule over my thoughts and feelings, my words and actions.

 

-Ray Simpson (Daily Light from the Celtic Saints: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Life)

 

It is a beautiful prayer and the sermon series based around it promises to be very interesting.  We are also writing a curriculum and producing a video series for a study that will accompany it.  In a recent Zoom meeting, I told the group I was thinking about having some kind of service to deal with all the grief of 2020, but at that time I had not yet figured out how to formulate the service.  We talked about it, and we came up with what we are calling A Requiem for 2020.  A Requiem is a funeral or memorial service, and after all the struggles and grief of 2020, it seemed to me that we should have a service to process all that grief in some way.  Here’s how you can help.  If you have lost someone and would like their name added to a list that will be either printed or read, please let me know or contact the church office.  You do not have to have your name listed if you choose not to do so.  Also, if you have something you would like to add to the list, as far as another grief, let us know.  By other griefs, I mean matters such as those who have lost a job.  Those who are worried about their children’s future.  One item I will put on the list is to have an open and loving heart.  I add that one because, to be honest, throughout this year I have too often felt myself closing off, trying to provide some measure of self-protection, I guess.  And I offer this invitation not just to those who are part of our church.  Please, anyone feel free to contribute to this service.  If you are watching this, from wherever you are, please feel welcome to contribute.  You can put a comment in the comments section of this video, call our church office at 502-633-3345, or contact me directly.  

     

Today is the third week of Advent, and as we continue through the season, I am preaching a series of messages titled A Light in the Darkness.  The series is based on the Advent candles and their meaning – hope, peace, love, and joy.  Today’s message is love, and our Scripture text is John 1:1-14.  Follow along with me, as I read that passage – 

 

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

²He was with God in the beginning.

³Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 

⁴In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 

⁵The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 

⁷He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 

⁸He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

⁹The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 

¹⁰He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 

¹¹He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 

¹²Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 

¹³children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

     

One of the dilemmas of preaching on the topic of love is, what is there to say that hasn’t already been said?  Love is, I would imagine, the most written about topic in the history of mankind. As such, is there any possibility of bringing a new insight or a new idea to the subject?  Probably not.

     

But when writing or speaking about love, I don’t think there is much need for originality. What we need, when writing or speaking about love, is the reminder that we have much work to do in living up to the ideal of love and what it asks of us.

     

The way I want to organize this message is to put love into three categories – the reality of love, the challenge of love, and the promise of love.

     

So let’s look first at – 

 

1.  The Reality of Love

     

Love is one of those things on which everyone can agree.  Love is, in fact, the one part of existence that universally unites humanity.  Everyone. Can you think of anything else in human existence that unites us in the same way as love?  I can’t.  But can we agree on how to define love, or why love actually exists, or even if love actually exists?  I know that question sounds a bit odd, so I should explain what I mean by it.

     

One of the great contributions of the Christian view of love – out of the many contributions Christianity has made to the understanding of love – is that it is one of the greatest proofs of the existence of God.  I say this because, to me, I’m not sure how we could truly believe in love if it were not for the existence of God.  

     

To explain that statement, let me present my thinking in this way.  In Western civilization, one of the greatest shifts in thinking took place during the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment covered the period of the 17^thand 18^thcenturies and was the time of the scientific revolution. The scientific revolution brought some philosophers to the point of view of materialism.  The definition of this type of materialism is not one of accumulating wealth and possessions, as we often define that term, but the belief that only what is material truly exists.  This means only those things that can be seen, touched, and measured scientifically can truly exist.  This, of course, rules out the metaphysical realm and also, any belief in God.

     

One of the great weaknesses of materialism, in my opinion, is that it does not take into account the full ramifications of what it teaches.  Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher and adamant atheist, was one of the few who truly understood the full ramifications of his belief, or lack of belief.  Most materialists, at least in my experience, seem to continue holding to many of the concepts of Christianity – especially love – while also claiming that anything metaphysical cannot exist.  I’m not sure how a materialist can prove that love exists.  One might claim to see it, in some kind of expression from one person to another, but how do we know it is anything more than the release of a pleasurable chemical reaction in our brains, if there is nothing but the material?  The release of those brain chemicals is quite pleasant and enjoyable, certainly, but there has to be something that grounds love in reality, and to me, that is God. Without God, I believe it is impossible to prove that love exists in any true form and is anything more than a biological reaction.  In saying this, I am not proposing that people who do not believe in God cannot love; on the contrary, I believe the existence of God is what makes them – and anyone – able to truly love.

     

John understands the necessity of basing love in something that is real.  In the first two verses of this morning’s passage, John writes ¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  ²He was with God in the beginning.  John affirms there is a divine beginning to all that we see.  There was a beginning to this vast universe and that beginning came from the hand of God.  This universe and all it contains – including each of us – is the product of divine action, and that divine action was motivated by love.  The Scriptures remind us, remember, of the great affirmation that God is love.  All that exists is a product and extension of God’s love, so it then follows that all of life is based on love.  If God does not exist, that is all pulled away, and the best one can say is that we are conditioned by evolution or culture to bind ourselves together in some way, but it cannot be called love, because love is far deeper and far more real than just the material. 

 

2.  The Challenge of Love.  

     

For all the beauty of love, love is also a really, really great challenge, because it is not limited – at least not in the Christian sense – to a particular group. One of the difficulties of human love, however, is that it is at best a pale reflection of divine love.  The arrival of Jesus into human history is both a reminder and a demonstration of how far we fall short of the agape love of God as demonstrated in Jesus.  

     

The love of which Jesus spoke and demonstrated is for all people, even our enemies.  We are called to love everyone.  No exceptions.  But when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, that is a general statement, and as a general statement, it is very difficult.  But let’s make it more specific, and thus more difficult.  Let’s put some names to those who would constitute our enemies.  Maybe it’s UK.  Or UofL. Or, how about Duke!  Wherever you come down on UK or UofL, we can all agree that Duke is the enemy!  Right? What else can bring UK and UofL fans to agree?  But do we really need to love Duke and Duke fans?  Surely, Jesus didn’t mean that!  But let’s go a bit further.  This has been an interesting political year, so let’s talk about political enemies.  How about loving Mitch McConnell?  How about loving Nancy Pelosi?  How about loving Joe Biden?  How about loving Donald Trump?  Now, I am not naïve enough to be ignorant of the reality of political policy and what impact that policy can have on people, but neither am I ignorant of the words of Jesus to love our enemies.  Those words are much more than a nice saying in the Bible.  Those words are much more than something we say on Sunday morning in church.  Those words are a very real command of Jesus, so before you finish that text or email to me telling me I don’t know what I’m talking about, let me say this – I’m just the messenger!  Let me also say, I really, really struggle with the command to love our enemies. Let me rephrase that.  I really, really struggle with the command to love my enemies.  I have been in ministry almost forty years, and I’ve got some bumps and bruises from those years.  I’ve got the spiritual and soul equivalent of some broken bones and concussions.  When Jesus tells me to love my enemies, there are some specific people that come to mind.  I can see their faces.  I can recite their names.  I can call up and feel the hurt I experienced from what they did to me.  And I can go back far before ministry, and I can remember the faces and the names of classmates who humiliated me, and I can still feel how their words and actions cut deeply into my soul.  After decades and decades, I still think about those times, and I still feel the emotions of humiliation and shame.  And I open my Bible, and read Jesus saying, love your enemies (Matthew 5:44).  Now, I don’t like the idea of disagreeing with Jesus, but I will be honest and say that I’ve had more than one conversation with Jesus over the course of my lifetime about those three words.  And no matter how many conversations I’ve had with Jesus about those three words, Jesus has yet to rescind that command.

     

That is one of the reasons why I really dislike the political, ideological, and religious purity that now exists, and that tells me I must separate myself from those who don’t meet the purity tests of those who create those tests.  That is, if people don’t believe, or act, or vote, or talk – or meet any other litmus test – in a way of which they approve, then I should separate myself out from them and cut them out of my life. Now, I’m not recommending that anyone continue in a harmful or toxic situation.  But I am saying that if we are going to love with the love of Jesus, we need to understand – we must understand – the challenge of that love. In accepting and meeting that challenge, we find that the love of Jesus is the key that unlocks the prison of hatred, and bitterness, and anger, and so much that crushes and harms our souls.

 

3.  The Promise of Love

     

The greatest part of this morning’s passage is, to me, verse 14, where John writes, the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  Or, as it could be translated in a more literal fashion, the Word become flesh and pitched his tent among us.  I really love that image – pitched his tent among us.  The God of all creation.  The God who created this vast, unending universe.  The God who cast the stars and planets across billions of light years.  That is the God who pitched his tent among us.  God did so because it was a way to say, how about if I just come and show you what I mean about love?

     

And God did that.  God of all heaven and earth, born in a manger as a baby.  The creator, walking the dusty roads of his created planet.  And the God creator and lord of humanity, nailed to a cross by humanity, and from that cross said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34).

     

That, my friends, is love! 

 

     

 

December 6, 2020 - A Light in the Darkness: Peace

 

Video of this service can be viewed on Vimeo here -

https://vimeo.com/487878583?fbclid=IwAR3nbcV5DA4sC4GxZfcK97Ksipe7CVvyY2T5UoeaVeM1iEjVu9mw-M5NXwY

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Today is the second week of Advent, and as we continue through the season, we arrive at the second message in the series, titled A Light in the Darkness.  The series is based on the Advent candles and their meaning – hope, peace, love, and joy. Today’s message is peace.

     

Our Scripture text comes from Luke 2:8-14, one of the most well-known of the Christmas passages.  Follow along with me, as I read that passage – 

 

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 

⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 

¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 

¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

When we talk about peace, one of the first necessities is to define what we are speaking about.  Peace is a word that covers a lot of linguistic territory and it carries a number of different meanings.  What I will talk about is the idea of peace in the macro sense – the big picture, as we say – and in the micro sense, or the small picture.  When I say big picture, what I mean is the idea of peace on a national, international, and global scale, and the peace – or lack of peace – between nations.  In the small picture of peace I will talk about peace between individuals, and keeping or restoring peace in those relationships.  But the small picture also refers to individuals as well, and a sense of peace that we each desire to have in our own lives.

     

Let’s start from the macro – the big picture – and move to the micro as we talk about peace. As the angels said, 

 

1.  On Earth Peace – to the nations.

     

In terms of the big picture, our world has been terribly devoid of peace for most of human history.  The story of Cain killing his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) set a template for the violence that has plagued humanity from the beginning.  That violence has continued throughout history almost unabated. In fact, according to a 2003 article in The New York Times, in the past 3,400 years, humanity has been entirely at peace for only 268 of those years, or just 8% of that time.  And, in a staggering number, in the 20^thcentury alone, at least 108 million people died as a result of war.  108 million people!

     

There are some interesting flashes of peace in that time, one of which took place in World War I, a war that killed or wounded more than 25 million people, an unbelievable number.  On Christmas Eve of 1914, at 8:30 p.m., a report between British and German troops was sent to British headquarters reporting that Germans have illuminated their trenches, are singing songs and wishing us a Happy Christmas.  Compliments are being exchanged but am nevertheless taking military precautions.  The two sides began singing Christmas carols, the Germans with Silent Night and the British responded with The First Noel.  A few scouts met, cautiously, in the no-man’s land between the trenches, and the two sides agreed they would not fire at one another.  Small Christmas trees had been placed along some of the trenches, and slowly and cautiously, soldiers from both sides began to venture towards one another.  As one British soldier later told his parents, literally hundreds of each side were out in no man’s land shaking hands.  Eventually, a soccer ball was brought out and soldiers from the two sides began to play soccer.  But the reality of war soon returned and would last for just over four more years. Many of the men who were a part of that Christmas miracle would not return home.  Peace, miraculous that day, would remain sadly and tragically elusive. 

     

One of humanity’s great absurdities is the idea that war, violence, and domination can bring about peace.  The Romans believed it could, and they created the Pax Romana – the Roman Peace.  The Pax Romana was a peace that came about through an iron-fisted rule that spawned immense suffering, difficulty, and bitterness.  While it might have ended war, to an extent, the Pax Romana did not mean the end of violence.  To keep the peace, the Romans employed a brutal enforcement that used a good deal of violence.  Violence can bring order, to some extent, but it does not bring peace.  Peace that is enforced with violence only creates bitterness, hatred, and suffering. Evidently, the Romans did not see the irony of enforcing peace through the use of violence.  But it’s not just the Romans who failed to see that irony; it’s been almost every nation in the history of humanity as well.  How many centuries has the Middle East, for instance, been a tinderbox of violence, bitterness, and hatred?  One of the reasons why it has been such a tinderbox is that so many military powers, beginning thousands of years ago, believed they could impose peace through violence.  How well has that worked out?  Not very well at all.  Centuries before the time of Jesus there was violence in that land, and one kingdom and power after another conquered the land, and in the process, only increased the bitterness, the hatred, and the injustice.  In the time of Jesus, it was the turn of the Romans to dominate, and they dominated brutally.  

     

The Hebrew word for peace is shalom.  I have to admit that I was not a Hebrew scholar, at all, but I do know that shalom is a very interesting word, and it is one that doesn’t really have an equivalent in the English language.  We have the word peace, of course, but shalom is far more comprehensive in its meaning. For one, it is more than just a cessation of violence and hostilities.  The peace described by shalom means wholeness, tranquility, completeness.  It means to wish for the best for others.  That is a far more inclusive definition that one that simply means people are not trying to kill one another.

     

Our nation is currently engaged in the longest war in American history, in Afghanistan, outlasting the Civil War, the Spanish‐​American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War combined. If U.S. soldiers continue to deploy to Afghanistan, they will soon be soldiers that were not born when that war started.  I want to be very clear that I am grateful to the members of our military, but we all would wish that the members of our military could come home and stay home. Who wants their loved one to be placed in danger? 

     

Isaiah 2:4 famously says He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.  Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.  We still have the same hope as Isaiah, all these centuries later, and peace seems just as elusive.  God’s desire is for peace.  We follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace.  What a heartbreak it must be for God to see his creation fighting and killing one another. 

 

2.  On Earth Peace – to the people.

     

If Cain could become so angry at his brother Abel that he killed him, how could we ever expect nations to find peace?  It is on the small-scale, among people, among neighbors, among coworkers, in a community, that peace must begin.  Conquering kingdoms and military powers have taught us that peace is not a top-down endeavor; peace comes from the bottom up. 

     

I have spoken before about the great amount of diversity among the disciples, even political diversity.  One disciple – Matthew – worked for the Roman government, while another – Simon – was a Zealot, a political group so opposed to the Roman government that they advocated violent means if and when necessary in order to accomplish their goal of driving the Romans out of their land.  Jesus put together that volatile, combustible mixture in his 12 disciples.  I think it was very deliberate and it was meant to teach us something important not only about diversity, but especially about getting along with those who are different from ourselves.

     

I saw an article recently in a publication that I subscribed to – yes, that is past tense; I did subscribe – in which a reader asked the staff “ethicist” the question of whether or not they should associate with friends and family who were on the opposite side politically.  I canceled my subscription soon after, and that was one of the reasons. Is that what some people think these days?  That we should not associate with people who think or believe differently from ourselves? I fear that it is.  We are segregating more and more into camps of people according to beliefs, politics, and other orthodoxies, with the intent of removing those who disagree from our circles of associations.  If we can’t get along in small groups, if we cannot learn to deal civilly with one another on the small scale, what hope do we have for the larger world?  

     

Jesus took his disciples into Samaria – a region that many avoided because of the enmity against the Samaritan people – and he did so, I believe, to bring them face to face with the people they had been taught to despise.  He told a parable about a good Samaritan.  When he healed ten lepers only one of the lepers returned to thank him, and that one was a Samaritan.  Jesus knew that it is harder to dislike or to despise someone once you get to know them, but how can we do that if we continue to segregate in our little groups?  I just cannot help but think, and I cannot help but believe, that all our separating is both bad for humanity and in absolute opposition to the spirit of Jesus. Jesus did not allow the disapproval of others to keep him from associating from the “tax collectors and sinners,” but he also, we should remember, associated with the Pharisees and other religious leaders who would have been disliked by the tax collectors and sinners. In this respect, Jesus was an equal opportunity offender.  But all he wanted was to bring peace between people.

 

3.  On Earth Peace – to each person.

     

We not only struggle to bring peace to the nations and to small groups of people; we also struggle to bring peace to ourselves.  Don’t raise your hand, but could you use some peace in your life?  Could you use some peace in your mind?  Could you use some peace in your heart?  Would you like to bring an end to the inner turmoil that keeps you up at night, that is turning your hair grey, that has your stomach upset, and that makes you so sad that sometimes you cannot hold back the tears, and when someone asks you what is wrong, you say, oh, nothing.  

     

I know what it is to worry, to be upset, and to long for inner peace.  Listen, if worry and upset were Olympic competitions, I would be a gold medal winner.  Jesus said, peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  Hmmm. I would be happy for success in just one of those areas that Jesus mentions – that my heart would not be troubled or I would not be afraid.  That’s a lethal combination, and I think most of us have that combination.  And that combination really is lethal to our hearts, and our minds, and our spirits.  And to make matters worse, there is this terrible, awful pandemic that is making everything worse, especially our lack of peace.

     

I spend a lot of time listening to people pour out their hearts in a normal year, even in a good year.  You know what this year has been like?  It’s been a lot of listening.  A lot. And a lot of trying to help people feel hopeful, and a lot of trying to help people feel a measure of peace.  It has been listening to people try to speak through their tears and their heartbreaks.  At those times, I wonder, what do I say, when I feel the same? How do I tell someone how to find peace when it is so lacking in my own life?  Well, I don’t have the answer, but I know who does!  

     

The angels proclaimed to the shepherds, on earth peace.  I sure like the sound of that, don’t you?  It’s a proclamation of a promise.  It’s not merely a hope and it is certainly more than a dream; it is a promise!  On earth, peace!  Peace to you, my friends, my church, my brothers and my sisters.  Peace to you, from the Prince of Peace, Jesus!