November 4, 2012 - Think Again: What's Happening To Us?

Matthew 24:23-26, 36, 42-44

What’s Happening To Us?

In January of 1977 I tried to outrun a blizzard.  As I was preparing to go back to school after Christmas break a warning was issued for a major snowstorm in southern West Virginia and western Virginia, where I would be driving.  I was anxious to get back to school so I thought I would leave a day early and get through the mountains before the storm hit.  Weather forecasting isn’t an exact science with today’s technology, so it was less exact back then, which meant the storm came in early.  I was about halfway through West Virginia when it hit, and it was a major snowstorm. 

I was traveling by myself, and probably should have turned back, but I decided to press ahead.  That wasn’t a great decision.  The snow was falling so fast and hard that very quickly it was difficult to see the road.  By the time I crossed into the western tip of Virginia it was really bad, and by then I was beginning to understand I made a mistake trying to drive through the storm.  I was in the middle of the mountains, with nowhere to stop, so I decided to keep driving.  I was listening to weather reports and heard a report that the interstate was closed behind me, so I knew that if I got stuck I was on my own.

By that time I was beginning to get really worried, wondering if I would end up in a snow bank and stranded on the mountain late at night by myself.  What would happen to me if I became stranded out there?  About that time, I suddenly came upon two tractor-trailer trucks driving side by side.  It was dark, and the snow was falling so hard that I couldn’t see them until it was too late.  I wasn’t traveling that fast, but I was going faster than the trucks.  When I hit my brakes I started sliding and knew I was going to plow right into the back of one of the trucks.  There was absolutely no way I could stop in time to avoid a wreck.

One of the things that really sticks in my mind about that moment was the fear of what was going to happen to me on that mountain in that blizzard.

Have you even had one of those moments?  What would happen to me?  It’s a very frightening feeling, isn’t it?

As we continue with our new series, Think Again, we are considering the question What’s Happening To Us?  There are so many problems facing our world today that it’s difficult not to feel a sense of foreboding about the future.  Do you ever feel discouraged about the state of the world?  Do you worry about the future?

If so, meet the Millerites, a group of people who serve as the historical setting for our message this morning.

The Millerites were followers of William Miller, who began to preach about the end of the world in the 1840’s.  Miller predicted that Jesus would return for the Second Coming and that Earth would be engulfed in fire sometime between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.  Miller was an apocalyptic preacher. The word apocalyptic comes from a Greek word meaning unveiling.  The Bible contains apocalyptic literature, such as our Scripture passage for today.  Apocalyptic literature has to do with the end of time, or an unveiling of the future.  When people speak of apocalyptic events they are speaking of destructive events on a tremendously large scale or of events related to the end of time.

Miller spoke to large crowds, had his writings widely publishes, and eventually as many as 100,000 Millerites sold their belongings and moved to the mountains to wait for the end.  Miller eventually selected the date of October 22, 1844 as the end of time, but when nothing happened it became known as The Great Disappointment.  The reaction of the Millerites varied – some sought to rebuild their lives, some became affiliated with other religious groups, and some formed what would become the Seventh-day Adventists.

Though other apocalyptic groups existed before the Millerites, it was William Miller and his followers who burned into American consciousness the idea that we are living in the final days, and the primary reason why it was viewed as the last days was because of the depth of the problems facing humanity.  There was such a strong sense of what is happening to us that people believed the end must surely be near.  So pervasive is Miller’s influence that world events and catastrophes continue to be interpreted in light of the impending end of time. 

Every time we are visited by disaster I am asked if I believe it is a sign that the end is near.  I have already been asked if I believe that the destruction of Sandy is a sign of the impending end.  My reply to that question is very simple – no.  Absolutely not.  Jesus makes it very, very plain that no one knows when the end will come.  In Matthew 24:36 Jesus says But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

But there are very legitimate fears about the future of our world.  We possess the technology to destroy ourselves, and it sometimes seems as if we are determined to do so.  Environmentally, we seem to be at a tipping point.  Can the world sustain the billions of people that inhabit the earth?  Is it possible we could suffer a large-scale epidemic?  Some scientists think we are very fortunate to have avoided one thus far.  There are, certainly, many things taking place in our world that should cause concern.

But this morning I don’t want to concentrate on the difficulties facing us.  Instead I want to instill a sense of confidence.

First, the Scriptures seek to calm our fears and anxieties about the future.  When people want a theology about the future, they most often turn to the book of Revelation.  A lot of people, I believe, misinterpret the book of Revelation, and I’ll tell you the number one way to recognize when its being misinterpreted – if it is used to instill fear in people.  The book of Revelation is a strange book to read.  If you have read the book of Revelation you’ve probably scratched your head at some of the imagery it presents.  Let me simply say this about the images and the message of Revelation – rather than seeking to instill fear, it seeks to instill hope and trust.  The book of Revelation was written to a church suffering terrible, terrible persecution, and much of the imagery is a kind of code so things could be said about the Roman Empire without those comments bringing greater persecution.  Those images are also meant to remind people that no matter how bad things may appear, God remains in control.  Those early Christians had a lot of reasons to wonder what was going to happen to them.  They often asked the question, I’m sure, what is happening to us, and why is this happening to us?  The book of Revelation sought to calm their fears and to remind them God was in control, would remain in control, and would always be with them.  There is far too much fear-based religion in our world. 

Second, the world isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In Matthew 24:44 Jesus says the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.  Put it this way – when the end is most expected, that is when it is least likely to happen. So the next time someone starts prattling on to you about the Mayan Calendar and how the end is coming on 12/21/12, just ignore it.  It’s not a prediction anyway – it just runs out of pages!

Third, yes, the world is in bad shape, which is why we are called to make a difference in the world.  So what are we going to do? 

Now, you didn’t think I’d leave you wondering what happened to me in that blizzard did you?  What happened next was one of those moments that will make you shake your head years later.  I still can’t decide if what I did next was totally crazy or totally brilliant.  I didn’t want to have a wreck on that mountain in the middle of a blizzard so I made a split-second decision that probably need a good deal more thought.  Since I couldn’t stop in time, I stepped on the gas.  I realized the trucks had some space between them and estimated that it might be just enough for me to drive between them.  I wasn’t sure there was enough room, but I was hopeful.  Let me add at this point a disclaimer – please don’t ever try this, and I’m especially saying this to Nick and Tyler!

I held my breath, started honking my horn, started flicking my lights between high and low beam, and drove between those two trucks, probably scaring the two drivers half to death.  I tried not to look at the trucks as I went between them because I didn’t really want to know how close it was, and I found myself scrunching up my arms, as though that would somehow help.

Miraculously, I came out the other side, and as I did both those drivers were hitting their horns and flashing their lights at me, and probably saying a few things as well. 

There are many things in our world that bring to us a sense of anxiety, but the message of the Gospel reminds us that God is in control, and because of this we have hope!  Some of you may be in the midst of a storm in your life – God is with you, don’t ever forget that promise.

When you are struggling in life, remember that God will see you through to the other side.  When you are in doubt and feel alone, remember that God is with you.  Remember that God will remain with you.  Will you have fear?  Probably so, but remember that God is greater than any fear we experience.

What is happening to us?  Nothing that will take us out of the hands and the care of God!

October 28, 2012 - Think Again: Which Kingdom?

Mark 12:13-17

Which Kingdom?

How many UK fans do we have here today?

How many U of L fans?  The U of L fans are much more excited this morning!  If you are a UK fan just forget about football season and think about basketball season.

How many West Virginia fans do we have?  A few, actually.  Thank you to those few who root for my Mountaineers.

How many fans of the Buffaloes are here this morning?  Almost everyone is wondering, who?  It’s my alma mater – the Milligan Buffaloes.  Milligan such a small school they don’t have a football team.  I'm pleased that Lora could actually find a picture of them for our slides this morning.

What if I said we don’t have much choice in the teams we root for?  Would you believe me?  If you grew up in Alabama you would probably be an Auburn or Alabama fan.  Chris is an Auburn fan – can you believe it?  He even has an Auburn tag on the front of his car!  If you grew up in California, you would probably be a fan of USC or UCLA.  If you grew up in West Virginia you would be a fan of West Virginia University or Marshall.  If you grew up in North Carolina, well, you still would know better than to be a fan of Duke or North Carolina!

We aren’t as independent in our thinking as we believe, which is the basic assumption I’m making in a new series of sermons that begin today.  The series is called Think Again, and it will take us through historical events that shape how we think and even what we believe, especially in relation to our faith.

Our thinking is shaped by many factors.  Tanya’s grandmother lived through the Great Depression.  I remember her picking the mold off of bread rather than throwing it away.  She would chide us for being wasteful, and she was correct.  She lived in a time when no one could afford to be wasteful; I grew up in a generation that had so much we didn’t think twice about throwing things away.  My mom disliked the decade of the 60’s.  She didn’t like the protests and the upheaval in society.  To me, it was normal.  Our historical setting, along with many other factors, shape our thinking, even about God.

This morning we begin with a message titled Which Kingdom?

It comes from an event that took place 1,700 years ago today.  Constantine, one of the rivals for the leadership of the Roman Empire, was camped with his army outside the city of Rome.  The night before what has become known as The Battle of the Milvian Bridge Constantine had a vision, and in the vision he sees the cross and the words in this sign conquer. 

Constantine was not a Christian, but believed the vision to be a sign from Christ.  He commanded that his army emblazon their shields with the Chi Rho symbol, which are the first two letters from the Greek word for Christ.  Constantine and his army defeat Maxentius and he eventually becomes the Roman Emperor.  Because he sees his victory as provided by God, Constantine converts to Christianity.

Upon his conversion, the course of Christianity was radically altered. In fact, this event so changed the course of Christian history I would venture to say that Constantine’s conversion is the most significant event in Christian history since the conversion of Paul, and it affects how we think today.  It affects how we view our world, how we view the role of the church, and even how we view the upcoming election.

Constantine’s conversion certainly had some positive results.  Prior to his reign, Christians were heavily persecuted by the Romans and were put to death in some of the most heinous ways imaginable.  Constantine not only declared Christianity to be legal, he showered the faith with money, prestige, and power.  Churches that had been destroyed were rebuilt, personal property of the faithful that had been confiscated was returned, and the emperor worked to bring unity to the Christian faith.

There were, though, some negative effects.  Christianity, once the victim of the sword, now wielded the power of the sword through the emperor.  Wars were now waged in the name of God, and wars become holy endeavors, such as the Crusades.  One of the most powerful accusations skeptics make about Christianity is the amount of violence that has been done in the name of Christ.  Before Constantine, that wasn’t possible.  Constantine gave the church military power and we struggle today with the consequences of how that power has been used over the centuries.  His conversion also brought about an entangling of church and state that remains with us to this day.  Before Constantine, it was counter-cultural to be a Christian.  After Constantine, being a Christian was a way to get ahead in government and business.  Being a Christian became the thing to do.  Before Constantine, becoming a Christian would end a political career; after Constantine, being Christian was a benefit to one’s political career (and it still it).  Though Americans have always recognized the importance of the separation of church and state, the two are still very much tangled together in complicated ways.  People of faith differ, for instance, as to whether the government is a tool to carry out the mission and purpose of the church, which is a question that did not face the church prior to Constantine.  People now seek to understand the best way to bring their faith to bear on the political system, which could never happen before Constantine.

Today’s Scripture lesson, when read in light of its time rather than ours, gives us a much different perspective.  When we read this passage we do so through the lens of a post-Constantine world.  To us, we hear Jesus saying there is a comfortable relationship between faith and the government.  Give to God what belongs to God, and give the government what belongs to the government.  A closer reading of the passage shows us this is not at all what Jesus was saying.

Jesus is actually presenting us with a choice – choose which kingdom will have dominion over your life.  He does this through the question of whether or not the Jewish people should pay the tax owed to the emperor.   Those who asked Jesus the question saw it as an opportunity to trap him – if he said they should pay the tax he would lose credibility with his own people.  To support the tax would be seen as an act of accommodation with the Romans, whose occupation of their country was deeply despised.  If Jesus said they should not pay the tax, he would be arrested for sedition.  Either way he answered, it appeared he was trapped.

In answering the question, Jesus first proves his brilliance in a couple of ways.  First, his answer allows him to avoid the trap they had set, while at the same time exposing their hypocrisy, as noted by Mark.  But Jesus’ answer also has a much deeper and important meaning:  his answer is actually setting up the greater question of where we will give our loyalty – to God or to an earthly kingdom?  As the Emperor claimed to be God, it was a choice between which God one would serve.  The truth is, both God and the emperor demand complete allegiance.  The emperor controlled every facet of people’s lives.  He owned the land – as evidence by his troops – he owned the economy, and he owned the people.  God made the same claim – all belonged to him.  It wasn’t a matter of giving part of their lives to God and another part to the emperor; it was a matter of choosing which would receive their ultimate allegiance; only one could be chosen, not both.  As Dorothy Day said, If we rendered unto God all the things that belong to God, there would be nothing left for Caesar (http://ecojustice.net/Coffin/Credo-Description.htm).  And, I would add, Caesar would be very unhappy about that.

I think this leaves us to ask what it means for us today.  What does it mean for we who live in a democracy – what are we to do with the question of rendering unto Caesar and rendering unto God?

I have just a few points to make about what this passage means in our day and age.

First, I think we should be grateful to live in freedom, and not under persecution, as did so many of our forbearers and as many of our brothers and sisters around the world still do.  I bristle when I hear suggestions that we are persecuted for our faith in this country.  I’m not saying our faith doesn’t present us with some dilemmas – it should – but when we think of the persecution of the early followers of Jesus we don’t really know persecution.  They were used as human torches to light the garden of the Emperor, they were victims of the gladiators in the Coliseum, and faced death in many other horrific ways.

Second, we can disagree on political issues.  Did you know the early Christians were considered to be atheists and unpatriotic?  They were considered so because they did not support the belief that the Emperor was divine and they did not worship the Roman gods.  In today’s political arena either of those names would be a harsh charge, but some use those names if they disagree.  Jesus lived in a day when disagreement with the government got you nailed to a cross.  We can do so freely.  It’s part of who we are, and it’s a great blessing that we can agree or disagree.  We should give thanks for the privilege of being allowed to disagree, and we should never claim that someone with a different point of view is less spiritual or less serious about their faith.  The disciples had differing points of view.  One of them was a Zealot, a person who was dedicated to the overthrow of Rome by any means necessary.  Another worked for the Romans.  Paul used his Roman citizenship as an aid to his ministry at various times, but Peter would have nothing to do with the Roman authorities.

Third, our faith may lead us to different political positions, and both sides can have a legitimate point.  I really tire of the reuse of the question What Would Jesus Do to How Would Jesus Vote and other slogans.  Maybe the more important question is What would Jesus have me do? (Rev. Peter J. Gomes, The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What’s So Good About the Good News, New York: HarperCollins, 2007, 69).  The gospel can never be adequately expressed by boundaries of politics and positions, and when we seek to tie it to our own views we reduce it down to something far less than God intended it to be.  There are people on all sides of the political aisle who are very serious about their faith, but no one side is always entirely correct.

Fourth, the church becomes less powerful when it depends upon earthly power to further its purposes.  I agree with what Chuck Colson once said – the early church had very little power but tremendous influence; the modern church has tremendous power but very little influence.  I believe that the reason that some of our world has largely abandoned the Christian faith is because of the abuse of earthly power on the part of the church, especially in Europe.  I believe you should vote – and vote your conscience – but if we think we will usher in God’s kingdom through the ballot box we are greatly mistaken. 

Fifth, we are called to be about the work of God’s kingdom.  The question that comes from Constantine is this – did the empire become more Christian or did Christianity become more like the empire?  We live in an earthly kingdom, and the issues in that kingdom are important, but as people of God we are about God’s kingdom, which is more righteous, more just, and more free than any earthly kingdom.  

God’s kingdom has outlasted many great empires and many great powers, and will continue.  The kingdom of God is greater than a vote, greater than a ballot box, greater than any weapon, greater than an army that has ruled the earth, and greater than any kingdom the earth has witnessed.  The kingdom of God will not rise or fall based on laws that are passed, the kingdom of God will not rise or fall based on who wins – or loses an election, and the kingdom of God will prevail regardless of how difficult or challenging thing appear to be.  If we believe differently, we need to think again.

October 21, 2012 - Spiritual Gifts - The Three R's: Giving

Luke 12:13-21

In 1980 I was living in Dothan, Alabama, and taking a break from seminary.  I found a job and put together a budget.  It turned out that after paying my weekly expenses I had a weekly surplus of about $10.  That’s not much of a safety net, so I worked overtime whenever I could.  Every penny that was over my budget amount went into savings, which allowed me to eventually move to Louisville and finish seminary.  It’s hard to anticipate how much money we need for the future, and I had no idea how much money I might need to help me get settled and to pay my expenses until I could find a job.  But I learned this basic principle – life always costs more than you anticipate.  I have never found anything to cost less than I anticipate.  My hope was that my savings would get me through most of the first year, if necessary, or at least the first semester.  It was all gone in several weeks, and my seminary years were full of great anxiety about having enough money to pay my bills and school expenses.  During those years I would often comfort myself by thinking that a day will come when I won’t have to worry so much about money – I’m still waiting on that day!

Today we conclude our series of messages on spiritual gifts.  This morning we come to the final gift – giving.  Did you know giving is a spiritual gift?

Messages about giving generally cause one of several reactions – a rolling of the eyes, groaning, guilt, the desire to get up and leave, or fidgeting in your seat.  Please don’t feel that way.  You have probably noticed by now that I don’t say a lot about money.  I don’t like to, to be honest.  There are times that it is necessary, but I don’t like to be hounded about money and I don’t like to hound people about money.  This church is blessed with good and faithful giving, and I appreciate that very much.

I have a list of things I want to say about giving this morning, some of which take only a sentence or two.

First, I don’t believe in guilt when it comes to giving.  Some people feel guilty about their giving.  Don’t feel guilty.  Guilt is a destructive emotion, and does not lead to healthy attitudes.  I would never use guilt as a way to try to get anyone to give (or do anything else for that matter). 

Second, I have no idea what anyone in this church gives and I don’t want to know.  I do not have access to the giving records and I don’t want access.  The only way I would know what anyone gives is for someone to tell me, but please don’t tell me; I would rather not know.  That is between you and God and isn’t any of my business.  I was sitting in a minister’s meeting some years ago and the topic of conversation drifted to giving.  One of the ministers said he went through the giving records of his congregation and confronted those he believed were not giving as much as they should.  I couldn’t help asking him how’s that working out?  His answer still amuses me – for some reason, it’s not really working out very well.  People seem to dislike it.  Talk about clueless.

Third, if you are able to tithe, the choice of tithing on your net or gross is up to you.  If you can tithe on either – great!  Not everyone is in the position of being able to tithe.  Don’t feel guilty if you can’t tithe.

Fourth, giving encompasses more than just money.  You may be in a season of life when you don’t have any money to give.  Give of your time and your talents.  And if you can give, money doesn’t replace your time and your talents.

Fifth, Scripture teaches us to be generous.  The man in our Scripture reading this morning, interestingly, never thought about being generous with his wealth.  His first thought was about himself – here’s what I can do for myself.  Well, we need to take care of our families, but this man gave no evidence of thinking about how he could be generous with others.  He certainly could have been!  Not only was he not generous, he was wasteful.  Instead of simply adding more barns for storage, he decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones – why not just build more barns if you need the space?  Tearing down barns and building bigger ones wasted a lot of resources that could have benefitted others. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the fruit of your labor.  The problem with this guy was that he had so much fruit he could have been very generous, but there is no sign that he was.  The human view is accumulation and protecting; the divine view is stewardship and generosity.  He could have shared some of what he had, but he didn’t.  He could have fed some hungry people, but he didn’t.  Instead, he was wasteful in tearing down his barns to build bigger ones instead of just building a few more.  Enjoy life, but don’t make the mantra of your life eat, drink, and be merry.  Use what has been given, share what has been stored.  God is always seeking to move us to the mindset of generosity.

When I was entering my last year of seminary I was worried about the expense of the final year.  I was managing, but just barely, and one more year of school expense was very worrisome to me.  My car was always breaking down and unexpected expenses kept popping up.  I was serving part-time in a church and someone in the church, very generously, gave money and asked that it pay for my schooling.  That was such a huge help to me. 

I think about the generosity of this congregation and the community with the Van for Glenn fund.  Isn’t it amazing?  Over $33,000.00 has been raised, and in a relatively short period of time.  People want to be generous, I believe.  People want to give of their time and their money to make a difference to others. 

Sixth, we begin our fall stewardship campaign next week.  That means we will make pledge cards available.  Not everyone feels comfortable with pledging.  That’s okay.  We encourage pledging because it helps us plan the next year’s budget.   If you do pledge, that information is kept confidential, just like your weekly giving.

Seventh, God never measures a person by the size of their gift.  In fact, Jesus praises the very small monetary gift of a widow.  In Mark 12:41-44 we read – Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” (Also found in Luke 21:1-4)

Eighth, the Bible does not say that the root of all evil is money.  Over the years I’ve heard countless times that the Bible says that money is the root of all evil.  What the Bible says is this – for the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:10).  Money causes a lot of problems, as does the lack of money, but money does a lot of good as well.  Some people are very gifted with the ability to make money, and the gift of making money allows them to be very generous.

Nine, avoid debt as much as possible.  I know that is very difficult to do these days.  Life is expensive, and sometimes there isn’t enough money to get us through the week or month, but be careful with debt.  A pile of debt adds a lot of stress to life, and it adds tremendous stress to relationships.  The primary cause of conflict in marriages is money, and most of that comes from the stress of debt.  There are some good programs out there to help reduce debt, and if you struggle in this area I would encourage you to look into one.

Ten, the other side of debt is saving, which is hard to do these days, but some savings becomes essential.

Eleven, generosity is the way of Jesus.  I was sitting in a meeting recently, and a friend told me about their recent trip to Nicaragua.  He had traveled there to work with some churches about setting up a partnership.  The churches he visited there were small – anywhere from 30 to 50 people, and they had very small buildings and very little resources.  One of the churches, in spite of their limited resources, fed almost 200 children every day.  For most of those children, it would be the only meal they would receive.  Almost 200 children, every day.  Another church, also of limited resources, was feeding almost double that amount, every day.  As he neared the end of his trip he sat down with the leaders of these churches.  Their topic of conversation was how the churches here, and there, could help one another.  He assumed they would ask for money, but they didn’t.  Their question was this – how can we help your churches discover what God wants them to do for their communities?  Wow.  Isn’t that powerful?  They have next to nothing, but what they offered is a powerful vision of being called to serve our community.

What can we give to others, and to God?

October 14, 2012 - Spiritual Gifts - The Three R's: Miracles

John 6:25-35

A friend of mine was the minister at a church that ran an unusual ad in the local newspaper each week.  The ad contained all the usual information – service times, phone number, etc.  But it also included this piece of information – Healing Service – Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.  I asked him one day, if I need healing, I have to wait until a Thursday evening at 7:00 p.m.?  I wasn’t making fun of the idea; it just seemed odd to me to schedule a miraculous healing. 

This morning, as we draw near to the end of our series of messages about spiritual gifts, we come to the gift of miracles.

What is a miracle?  Is this phone a miracle?  I read a review the other day that said the new iPhone was truly a miracle.  This phone would absolutely be a miracle to someone who lived a hundred years ago, or even forty years ago. We often talk about the miracle of technology.  There are days, I’ll confess, when I want to throw mine in a lake and be free of it, but most of the time I’m happy to have it.  As a parent, it’s really nice to know where my kids are and if they are okay.  Parents, isn’t it nice to be able to call you kids and make sure they are okay?  When I was that age, I was very grateful my parents couldn’t call me to find out where I was and what I was doing! 

People toss the word miracle around quite a bit. Do you remember the Miracle on the Hudson?  In January of 2009, Captain “Sully” Sullenberger managed to safely land an airliner in the Hudson River, saving all 155 people on board. 

Two years ago this month, 33 miners in the nation of Chile were rescued after 69 days trapped underground. 

When the first miner stepped out of the narrow capsule that transported him to the surface one of his relatives proclaimed this is a miracle of God!  When someone is found alive in the rubble of an earthquake it is often proclaimed to be a miracle. In December of 1972 the Pittsburgh Steelers won their first ever playoff game against the Oakland Raiders.  Anybody remember that game?  I sure do.  I was watching it on TV and will never forget the game.  I grew up just down the river from Pittsburgh so I’ve been a life-long Steeler fan.  In what is often referred to as the greatest play in the history of the NFL, Franco Harris caught a deflected pass on the last play of the game to score the winning touchdown for the Steelers.  Curt Gowdy, one of the announcers, called it a Christmas miracle – the miracle of all miracles.  I think that’s quite an overstatement, especially when you think about Christmas miracles.  Do you remember the miracle on ice, when the American hockey team, at the Winter Olympics in February of 1980, defeated the hockey team of the Soviet Union?

But what is a miracle?  There are a lot of miracles in the Scriptures.  The Gospels, in particular, are full of miracles.  Jesus gained great renown because of the miracles he performed.

On more than one occasion I’ve been in a hospital and heard a doctor tell a family that healing that came to a loved one could only be described as a miracle.  Of course, those kinds of occurrences make us wonder why miracles don’t happen to everyone.

In our Scripture reading for this morning Jesus is asked what miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?  What will you do? (verse 30).  Jesus performed a lot of miracles in the gospels, but never on demand.  Every time someone asked Jesus to perform a miracle because they wanted proof, Jesus declined.  They really tried to pressure Jesus – Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written:  “He gave them bread from heaven to eat (verse 31).  This is really brazen – it’s a challenge to Jesus to prove himself.

God doesn’t work that way, and it’s partly because some people won’t acknowledge a miracle, even when they see one right before their eyes.  We can also ask, if it takes a miracle to bring faith, is it really faith.  Part of the lesson about the disciple Thomas (John 20:24-29) is that faith does not need a miraculous confirmation.  The point of faith is that faith exists without an overwhelming proof.

This is one of the important truths about miracles – often, they are a matter of perspective.  Not everyone realized, or acknowledged the miracles of Jesus.  The disciples didn’t believe the women when they told of the resurrection.  Thomas didn’t believe Jesus had risen.  When Jesus raised Lazarus that was when the religious leaders made the decision to have him put to death.  Jesus certainly understood that a miracle doesn’t make any difference to some people, because their hearts, their eyes, and their minds are closed to the miraculous, even when it is right in front of them.

I’ve told you about the class I teach in Louisville.  I have a student in my class named Burke.  He’s missed almost every day of school this year, but it’s okay; we are excited when he manages to come to class.  I was glad to have him for the first time Friday.  He’s in the 9^th grade, and he has had a very tough road.  Last year, at the beginning of the school, Burke learned he had a brain tumor.  He had several surgeries and spent almost the entire school year in a hospital.  He comes to school occasionally now, and he is a really brave young man.  He is in a large wheelchair pushed by his mom or his dad.  He has a rather large desktop attached to the front of his wheelchair so he can have his books and papers spread out in front of him.

I tried not to make it obvious during class that I was keeping my eye on him, in case he was getting too tired or had a seizure.  We have instructions of what to do in the event of his going into a seizure.  Out of the corner of my eye I could see him struggle with the outline I gave him, because his hands don’t work very well.

As I was packing up my papers and books after class I watched as the students were hurrying to gather up their things to get to their next class.  One of the other students left his things on his desk to come over and talk to him.  Conversations aren’t easy because he still struggles to get the words out, but the other student was very patient, standing there, patting Burke on the shoulder, and telling him how happy he was to see him and telling him what the class had been doing.  It was very touching to see that kindness.

Burke is a young man who just wants to come to school.  He just wants to carry his own books.  He just wants to walk down the hall.  He just wants to pick up a pen or a pencil and take a quiz or a test.  He just wants to talk with his friends and classmates.  A 9^th grade young man should be able to do those things, but Burke can’t.

Here is a piece of a blog post his mother recently wrote – I don't know if Burke will be able to walk again unassisted-- I've read about kids with ependymoma tumors that always have balance problems because of the brain injuries from surgery. That doesn't mean I don't believe in my kid – I just know that this world has physical limits. But I know that if anyone in Burke's physical condition can re-learn how to walk, he can. And he wants to try. We have always been honest with him, when he asks, that we don't know what he'll get back, but that his effort in rehab can get back as much as possible. While I can't be certain of what will happen for Burke physically, I know his heart and spirit are strong, and his faith is boundless.

(http://www.facebook.com/pillowsofhope?filter=1).

It’s easy to think about how unfair it is that Burke has had to endure such a struggle, and how much he needs a miracle, but I would also have to say is that he is a miracle.  He doesn’t appear to let the struggle get him down.  Here is a 14-year-old young man, with an incredibly tough situation life has handed him, but he is such a fighter and an incredible inspiration, and his faith is boundless.  There’s a miracle!

The reality is that miracles surround us every day – every day – but they often go unnoticed.  The people who came time after time to ask Jesus to perform a miracle totally missed the point.  They missed the point because miracles don’t always bring faith – there were plenty of miracles performed by Jesus that didn’t always bring about faith in people.  Miracles don’t always bring about faith, but faith enables us to see the miracles that surround us every day.

Back in the mid 90’s I received a call late one evening that a member of the congregation I was serving at the time had suffered a very serious stroke.  I met the family at the hospital and we sat there all night, and all night the family hoped and prayed for a miracle. 

He never regained consciousness and passed away two days later.  The night was waited at the hospital, and for a long time after, his wife was very troubled because there were things she wanted to say to him that she did not get a chance to say.  For a long time she struggled with the lack of closure that she so desired.  Some years after her husband passed away, another member of the congregation was in the hospital here in town.  His condition began to deteriorate and one day his heart stopped and he died, but was resuscitated.  He had a near-death experience when his heart stopped.  A few days after the experience he asked to see the widow of the other man.  They were acquaintances, but not close friends.  He had a message for her from her deceased husband.  She went to the hospital to see him, and he gave her the message. 

The difference that came over her was amazing.  You could see the burden lifted from her.  There was a lightness about her that had long been missing. 

I officiated at her funeral a few years ago.  After the service there was a lunch and I was seated at a table with two of her four daughters.  I never knew the message this other man gave to her, but was always curious.  That day at lunch, I asked her daughters about it, and they had certainly been curious as well, but their mother never spoke to them about it.  But one of the daughters said, whatever it was, it was a miracle for her.

There are plenty of people who would say it was all a hallucination.  When someone has a near-death experience, they will say, their brain will play tricks on them, or medication will cause them to hallucinate, or there will be another reason to doubt what they experience.  I’ve known a number of people who have had near-death experiences, and they are certainly very real to them.  And on this occasion, it brought a miracle to the life of another person.

So, again, it comes down to a matter of perspective.  When you look at life, what do you see?  Do you see the miraculous that God is working around us every day?  Do you see the miraculous in events that may not be noticed by others.  I said last week that the gift of faith allows us to be able to see, and it certainly enables us to see the miracles of God that come to us every day.