The Message: Equipping the Saints…Yes, that Means You!, Ephesians 4:1-16

Sermon:        Equipping the Saints…That Means You, Too!
Scripture:     Ephesians 4.1-16
Preacher:     Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:      First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale
Date:             August 5, 2018, Communion Sunday

This morning, our text is in Ephesians 4.  Although the title of the letter is “Ephesians” many believe the letter was an encyclical, i.e. a letter that bore the name “Ephesians” but was used to pass around and share with several churches in the region. As you listen out for three things in our text: listen as to how the author begins with setting the bar for the Christian community; listen he then describes gifts given to members of the community; and finally, listen how he hammers home as to why those gifts were given in the first place.  Listen and see if you can hear what Paul is getting at as we read Ephesians 4.1-16.  Listen to the Word of the Lord!

Ephesians 4:1-16

^4.1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, ² with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, ³ making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ⁴ There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

⁷ But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore it is said,

“When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.”

⁹ (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended^[a] into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) ¹¹ The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.[1]

Now, did you hear the bar Paul raised?  He’s urging us to lead a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called in Christ.

Did you hear the gifts he mentions? Some are apostles, or, sent ones to new places to share the gospel. Some are prophets or those women or men who not only see into the future but also call for justice in the present. Prophets are as much future-tellers as they are truth tellers. Some are evangelists, i.e. those who are able to share the Story of Jesus in naturally winsome ways, so others come to faith.  Some are pastors, or as it has in the original, shepherds of the community flock of believers who watch out for them, nurture them and keep them safe. Finally, Paul says there are teachers who are able to unpack the faith, the scriptures, and theology and explain it to others.  Apostles. Prophets. Evangelists. Shepherds and Teachers. Each and every church has members in it who have these gifts.

Finally, did you hear the reason why gifts are given to members of each church community? Gifts are given in order to equip the saints so as to help us grow up and practice our faith so that the whole community, the Body of Christ, moves in rhythm and beauty. When Paul is referring to saints, he is not referring to those spiritual giants the Catholic tradition refers to like St. Augustine, St. Francis, or St. Teresa. Paul is referring to the likes of ordinary women and men like you and me. You see, a saint simply means “one who is set apart” which is the root of the word we use as referring to that which is holy.  Saint literally means “holy one” or “set apart one.”

You and I are saints…set apart ones from the world. Saints are people who have said “no” to the culture but “yes” to the God. Saints are people who have said “no” to trying to live life on their own and have said “yes” to being part of a spiritually driven community transforming the world. Saints are women and men who say “no, I’m not going to look at the world as hopeless” but instead declare through their words, their actions, “Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is the heavenly Father and Spirit’s Divine “Yes!” that this life is precious, and we are to hope in the future and for our neighbor!” Saints are people who say “no” to looking at people and our world’s resources as means to our happy end but declare “yes” in seeking to love people into this new way of living we have been shown and given. Behind every “no” we utter there is a “yes” with gifts attached that we are able to pick up and celebrate.

The deal is this brothers and sisters: We need to remember that we live in a world that is hell-bent on keeping us living in a “no”-oriented world; we live in a world that tries to out-shout, obscure, and muddle up the life-giving “yes” of Christ.  How are we to navigate our way through this world of cacophonous noise that screams at us the virtues of loneliness, hatred, bigotry, and greed? Paul tells us we are to be equipping ourselves.

Equipping means to consciously strive to do what it takes to be a set-apart or holy one for Christ. It does not mean you’re more special or better than anyone else but that you are intentionally trying to live your life as Jesus lived, i.e. consciously living your life counter-culturally loving on others and showing others through the fabric of your life, my life, that there really is a different way to experience the moment, God, and one another.

If I were to hit a pause button right here, and I am, let’s pause and reflect: How spiritually equipped am I to live a Christly counter-cultural life in a culturally driven world that promotes self-interest instead of loving neighbor and power over humility? Presbyterian pastor, Eugene Peterson in his biblical paraphrase, The Message, writes verses 14-16 in our text this way:

^14-16 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. (MSG)

Paul is adjuring his church, “Be wholly dissatisfied where you are in your faith!  Grow it! Stretch is! Practice it!” Beloved, God is so much larger than any box we have placed Him in and yet so much simpler than we have made Him be.  The only way to discover that, however, is that we grow up spiritually.

It means reading the Bible.

It means gathering in small groups and learning from one another what the scripture is saying.

It means challenging our old assumptions about God and who God “like” or “doesn’t like” and “who’s in and who is out?”

It means taking time to understand different Christian perspectives and seek to understand why that person believes what she or he does.

It means to intentionally embark on a path of the spiritual formation where you take what you learn and then put it into practice with others in the community through acts of love and service.

Do you remember the old theme song from Toys R Us?  It goes, “I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a Toys R Us kid.”  Never mind Toys R Us is bankrupt and out of business now but their song is still applicable for us today as we look at our spiritual life and walk with God in Christ. Do you wanna grow up in Christ? What concrete steps can you and I take that will help equip us to grow up in our life of Christ-followership that enhances the gifts and graces of other members within our Body?

As you come to the Table this morning, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you those places you are spiritually weak and flabby and need to pay attention to and get into shape.  Let us all grow up together in our one faith, in our one love, and in our one baptism in the family of Christ.  And all of God’s people said, “Amen.”

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
pwrisley@drew.edu
wrisley.org

© 2018 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[1] The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Message: Does it Ever Feel Like Jesus is Asleep at the Wheel?, Mark 4.35-41

Sermon:        Does it ever feel like Jesus is asleep at the wheel?
Scripture:    Mark 4:35-41
Preacher:     Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:     First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale
Date:             June 24, 2018

You may watch or listen to the sermon by clicking here.

Mark 4.35-41

 ³⁵On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” ³⁶And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”³⁹He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?” ⁴¹And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” [i]

It was Christmas break of my Freshman year at college and I returned home after a difficult semester.  I drove some 20 miles to go meet up with some old high school friends to catch up and catch up we did. The next thing we knew it was after 2 in the morning and I had some thirty minutes to get home.  I should’ve known better.  Leaving my friends, I got into my faded red 1962 VW Beetle with Sears red shag carpet tiles on the floorboards and curved roof.  I was tired.

I started off just fine. The roads were pretty empty and quiet as I traveled about fifteen miles before I fell asleep, ever so briefly, behind the wheel of my car.  I know I fell asleep because I was jolted awake when the right front tire went off the road and the old Beetle’s suspension, or lack thereof I should say, bounced my head against the roof and woke me up.  Being startled, I did the one thing you’re never supposed to do when you drift onto a road’s shoulder and that is to oversteer in the opposite direction to get back on the road.  I jerked the wheel hard to my left and the old faded red 1962 VW Beetle decked out with Sears red shag carpet squares begin spinning 360’s on Old Alabama Road and then flipped over three times before landing on its side forty feet off the road between two massive oak trees.  By this time, I was fully awake and realized what happened.  While in shock, I kicked the door open above me and slipped out the top of the car.  I grabbed the floorboard and somehow managed to flip the car back on its wheels, got in, turned the key and the now crushed faded red 1962 VW with Sears red shag carpet squares started!  I gently but very much awake drove the remaining 6 or so miles home and parked the car the last time.  It was totaled.

I learned so much that night.  I grew up that night. I learned that falling asleep at the wheel in the middle of nowhere at 2 in the morning is a very sobering and scary thing and place to be.  You feel totally out of control and your natural instinct is to oversteer and overcompensate in order to prevent an accident; it is just this particular instinct to overreact that actually causes the problem.  I learned that night that when confronted with a crisis, you will have better outcomes physically and emotionally if you remain calm.  I’ve learned that to be true when driving a car, riding a motorcycle or even getting through the day with challenging team meetings.

Have you ever felt that at times your life was in the midst of careening out of control in a flip and roll cycle?  If we are all honest, we would all say, ‘yes.’

You walk in one day and your boss lets you know your services are no longer needed.

You get a routine physical and discover certain levels within your body are out of whack and new tests need to be ordered.

You arrive home one afternoon to discover that your spouse has had a heart attack out back in the garden.

Your retirement funds have been absconded and lost in a Ponzi scheme.

You feel like life is spinning out of control.  You feel as though wave after wave of trouble and problems are breaking upon you one after the other.  Like the disciples, you look heavenward and desperately cry out, “Jesus, don’t you care that we are perishing?!”  Sometimes we feel as though Jesus fell asleep at the wheel, and in our Story today, we realize that he literally did!

The Sea of Galilee is circled with mountainous regions that rise up on its eastern, northern, and western sides.  The hot air from the deserts come up and over the hills and mix with the colder air from the high mountainous regions of the north and nasty squalls come out of nowhere.  Living in Florida, we know what that is like, don’t we?  One minute we are playing in the water at the beach and the next minute from out of nowhere a thunderstorm develops and lightening knocks an entire building’s cooling tower and AC like what happened to the Neumann Center yesterday. In a blink of an eye, your world gets turned upside down and inside out. And at that moment, we cry out to God, “Don’t you care we are perishing down here!?”

Jesus has been having an extended teaching and preaching tour among the villages of the northwestern and northern parts of Galilee near the town of Capernaum.  It’s late in the day and he hops into a boat with the disciples and we read in Mark how an armada of Jesus seekers follow them. The fact is, Jesus and the others set out at night to cross over to the far eastern shore of the Galilee from the north.  If you read the scriptures long enough, you begin to understand that in both the Hebrew and Christian testaments, good things don’t typically happen at night.  For our ancient brothers and sisters, the night was a time of shadows and foggy vision.  Furthermore, Jesus and the others went out into the night on the chaotic and unpredictable waters of the Sea of Galilee. Mark has painted a verbal picture setting up the first-century perfect storm! Like a Greek chorus who shouts instructions to the actors, we want to yell, “Wait till morning Jesus!  There’s no rush to cross the sea at night!  We’ve heard of the weather forecast and we’re telling you to please wait ‘till morning!”  But Jesus is tired.  He’s had a full day and he feels the need to be alone and quiet.  He needs rest and gets in the boat and off he goes.

Now at this point, I want us to notice where Jesus was on the boat. Excavations on the Galilee have found boats of his time that he would’ve used was some 27 feet long and Jesus was situated in a strategic place. Well, back in Jesus’ day, the boat was steered from the back or the stern.  This is where the rudder is but it is also where the one steering, the helmsman, would be.  So where is it we find Jesus in our Story this morning?  Jesus is fast asleep at the wheel and seems to be doing a poor job with his divine cruise control!  The boat is sinking!  The storm is brewing, and water is slamming into and over the sides!  This story of Jesus on the water, with shades of the Jonah Story all along the edges, looks as though the boat is going down. Things are spinning out of control.  All seems desperate and lost.  In the midst of the watery chaos, the disciples collapse into a full-blown panic and start yelling at Jesus to wake up and do something!

And he does.  In fact, he does that which only God can do: He exercises control over the perilous realms of nature.  Just as God, whose Spirit hovered over Creation’s watery chaos and brought forth order and beauty, so Jesus wakes up and commands the watery chaos to be still; one can even translate it as Jesus telling the chaos and storm to literally “Shut-up!” [2]  And it does. And so too do the disciples in the boat.

Jesus’ outburst is one that calmed two things that night.  First, it calmed the storm and crashing waves.  Second and perhaps more importantly, Jesus drastically shut the disciples up in order for them to stop and realize how far they had to go in their faith development.  There are two types of fear described in our Story today.  There is a cowardly fear for losing one’s skin that describes the disciples’ response to the storm, and then, there is flat out terrorizing run for your life fear. The disciples realize Jesus has a spiritual gift set that extends way beyond being pretty good in the pulpit! You see, the disciples were scared of the storm and swamping boat however they were lose-control-of-your-bodily-functions terrified at what Jesus just did! Jesus’ abrupt demand for silence is to jar the disciples’ out of a worldly based hopelessness and complacency and snap them back into the present reality of God’s providential care and concern.  As Episcopal priest, Mark Edington says, “Here is the conundrum: Jesus has godlike authority over the primordial chaos; he is king of the created order. Yet the immediate response to this demonstration of kingly power is not joy, not praise, not acclaim, but fear.”[3]

Friends, fear is not necessarily a bad thing as it reminds us to pay attention. Fear can either incapacitate you or it can be a dynamic catalyst for change. The key to handling and encountering fear is that once it gets our attention, we then have to decide how we are going to relate to that which is creating the fear. Do we relate with spiritual hopelessness and fear as the disciples did and complain to God, “Don’t you care we are perishing?” Or perhaps, do we relate with Jesus with the confidence that indeed, he’s got the whole, wide world in his hands?  Fear is not a bad thing; how we relate to it determines how it will affect us. Is it hopeless fear that God has abandoned us or is it faithful confidence that indeed nothing can separate us from the love of God, not job losses, cancer, knee replacements, divorces, strokes, nor overdue taxes and bills!  We may get the feeling Jesus is asleep at the wheel and life is spinning out of control, but the reality is he is situated in the stern of our life’s ship and has the wheel firmly in hand! Let’s remind ourselves, shall we?  Join me in this!

“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”

He’s got the whole world in his hands he’s got the whole wild world in his hands
He’s got the whole wild world in his hands he’s got the whole world in his hands

He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands he’s got the little bitty baby in his hands
He’s got the little bitty baby in his hands he’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands…

He’s got you and me brother in his hands he’s got you and me sister in his hands
He’s got you and me brother in his hands he’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands…

He’s got everybody here in his hands he’s got everybody here in his hands
He’s got everybody here in his hands he’s got the whole world in his hands
He’s got the whole world in his hands…

What are your fears sisters and brothers?  Believe the Good News:  Jesus is not asleep at the wheel, but he is what?  He’s got the whole world in his hands!  Sometimes my friends, we just need to be reminded of this fact that we often forget when life gets a little swirly. Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
www.firstpres.cc
patrickw@firstpres.cc

© 2018 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

[i] New Revised Standard Version (NRSV). New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[2] Joel Marcus, Mark I-VIII, from the Anchor Bible Commentary Volume 27 (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 339.

[3] Bartlett, David L. and Taylor, Barbara Brown (2011-05-31). Feasting on the Word: Year B, Volume 3, Pentecost and Season after Pentecost 1 (Propers 3-16) (Feasting on the Word: Year B volume) (Kindle Locations 5887-5889). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

Let’s Talk About Suicide. Judas Iscariot, Kate Spade, and Anthony Bourdain: We are to Have Good Hope for All!, Matthew 27:3-10

Sermon:          Judas Iscariot, Kate Spade, and Anthony Bourdain: We Are to Have Good Hope for All!
Scripture:        Matthew 27.3-10
Preacher:        Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:         First Pres Fort Lauderdale
Date:                 June 17, 2018, Father’s Day

This morning, we are going to be looking at a text, which I must admit, I have never preached on before.  Turn in your Bible to Matthew 27: 3-20.  We are deviating from the lectionary text in order to look at an issue that has been in the news the past few weeks.  We are going to frame our thoughts around the title, “Judas Iscariot, Kate Spade, and Anthony Bourdain:  We Are to Have Good Hope for All” this morning, we are going to address the issue of suicide and see what scripture might have to say.

Our community in Broward County knows all too well the pain from senseless deaths.  On Valentine’s Day this year, 17 people were gunned down at a Parkland High School which has lit the fires nationally as a debate for common sense gun laws.  According to the Washington Post, 141 children, educators, and bystanders have been killed in our schools with another 287 injured.^[1]  Our country is up in arms over such a statistic as well it should be!  The media and our politicians have been vocal on what some have called an epidemic.  As horrible as those numbers are, did you know that in 2017 alone, 45,000 died from suicide?^[2]  Sixty-two percent or roughly 28,000 of those people died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.^[3]  The majority who harm themselves are male but the number of women in middle age is expanding quickly.^[4]  To put it in perspective, the number of people who die by suicide in our country is about one third (1/3) of the total population of the city limits of Fort Lauderdale.  Where’s the press on that?  Where is the civil discourse and angst about that?  I’ll tell you where it is; its’ buried in the fact for why we don’t have many sermons on Matthew 27: 3-10 because the issue of suicide is one of those taboo topics.  As a result of the stigma placed upon those who choose self-harm and destruction, we choose not to talk about it until someone famous like Kate Spade or Anthony Bourdain do the unthinkable.  Our silence on the subject simply adds to the stigma of surrounding it.  Beloved, we can ill-afford to be silent any longer as our silence only contributes to spiritual, social and emotional misunderstandings of suicide.  Let’s look at our text in Matthew.  It’s a text we know about but often skip over:

Matthew 27.3-10

³ When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴ He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” ⁵ Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. ⁶ But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” ⁷ After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury foreigners. ⁸ For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹ Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^[5]

As we look at this text, I am in no way saying what Judas did was right, either in betraying Jesus or in taking his own life.  I do believe, however, Judas’ story gives those of us in the Christian community a better understanding as to why he chose the path he did.  Our text is illustrative.

Judas comes as a man saturated with guilt and shame.  His fervent hopes for who and what Jesus was to be and do were not realized.  He knows he lived as a disciple but like many in the church today, his name was on the rolls, but he didn’t really know what discipleship meant for him.  When his role as a disciple didn’t mesh with what Jesus intended, Judas quickly bailed out and arranged for Jesus’ arrest.  In the ensuing time between selling Jesus out and coming back to the religious authorities, Judas’ spirit was crushed and overwhelmed.  The horrible weight of what he had done and the pain it was causing Judas became intolerable, and Judas, with the mantle of guilt and shame tries to do something about it.  When Judas saw that his actions were going to cost Jesus His life, Judas’ despair drove him to action.  What does our text say?

The first thing our text says in verse 3 is that when Judas saw the outcomes of his selfishness, he repented.  Isn’t that what Jesus wants all people to do? Repent?  Judas in his spiritual and emotional crisis turned around 180⁰ in the other direction.  He fully embraced and acknowledged his selfishness.  The word for “repent” Matthew uses is one that describes a turning around because of deep shame and sadness; in other words, it’s a word that indicates a deep remorse for what he did.

The second reality we note is that Judas didn’t keep his remorse to himself. He goes to the Jewish religious leaders and tries to make restitution for what he did.  He tries to give back the 30 pieces of silver he sold Jesus out for in the first place.  In his state of mind, in the despairing swamp of pain in his soul, he tried to rectify the problem the only way he knew how.

Judas then does a third thing:  He publicly confesses his sin to the religious authorities and the Chief Priest.  He publicly admitted his sin against Jesus to the very ones who in Jewish law could forgive him.  He’s doing what Jesus told many others to do:  go and show yourself to the chief priests.  And it’s right here that all the wheels fall off the wagon.

Judas repents, tries to recompense for his actions, and then publicly confesses his sin to the chief priests.  He admits he has sinned by betraying innocent blood and then the ones who had the power and ability to forgive him, to release him from his burden, did what?  They smugly reply in verse 4, “What is that to us? See to it yourself!”  What does that mean, “See to it yourself”? The religious community had trusted in, the community who encouraged him to commit the sin of betrayal in the first place gives him the flippant answer, “It’s your problem; deal with it yourself.”  It’s at this point, beloved, we have in scripture an anatomy of suicide.

A broken person gives off signals they are in pain and seeks those in their community for help.  The people in the trusted community either can’t see the pain or chooses to ignore the pain in the other.  Judas the betrayer and the shattered, when ignored by the people in his community, withdraws to be all by himself.  It’s in that moment of sheer loneliness and despair that he takes his own life.  This Story that’s already full of so much pain and tragedy only becomes more mired in even greater pain and tragedy.  What can we learn from all this, beloved?

We learn that Judas’ suicide is not the unforgivable sin our culture and faith traditions have made it be.  Jesus in Mark 3: 29 tells us the only unforgivable sin is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  Suicide is not the unpardonable sin, so brothers and sisters, we need to have good hope for all!  Suicide is the result of a mental illness whereby a person cannot physiologically or emotionally to handle the onslaught of pain and despair in their lives. When a person feels that level of loneliness and hopelessness, he or she takes things into their own hands.  As a person who struggles with PTSD and my own mental illness, I can tell you that depression is one of the most narcissistic conditions known to humanity.  When you are lost in the mire of depression, you cannot see or hear anyone other than yourself. The lonely, depressed, hopeless person is reduced to being only focused on his or her pain and despair. It’s hard to see or hear others. In their minds, no one can understand what they are experiencing; as a result, they withdraw from others and their psyche runs away from them.  Suicide is caused by a brokenness, an illness, in our human condition.  It is not an unforgivable sin but it’s a sin and lack of confidence in God nonetheless.

We also learn from our text that those who do harm themselves are in desperate need of intentional, caring community.  As a faith community and as a culture, we must stop stigmatizing mental illness. We stigmatize mental illness when we tell hopeless people, “Quit feeling sorry for yourself and just pull yourself up by your bootstraps.”

We stigmatize mental illness when our insurance systems see it solely as a behavioral issue apart from its biological and physiological consequences and treat it as a lesser medical condition such as cancer or diabetes.

We stigmatize mental illness when we trivially call people “nut jobs” or “whackos”.

We stigmatize mental illness when we see it as something to be ashamed of and hidden and never talked about in our families or churches.

As a faith community, we are on notice not to repeat the sin of the chief priests and blow people off who show signs of emotional brokenness and leave them alone to figure it out on their own.  Our silence on this matter and pretending it does not exist is no longer an option.  So, Church, what are we to do?

Let’s be alert to those in our communities and circles of influence.  Do those we know all of a sudden seem grossly overwhelmed by life’s circumstances?  Do they forget details for the easy-to-remember items? Are they tired all the time and complain of not enough rest? Is there a change in their eating habits? Well, then talk with them about it.

Are there people you know who seem to have uncharacteristically withdrawn into themselves at work, home or at school? These are the people who are usually in the middle of a crowd working the room but now they are sitting off by themselves along the wall. These are the students or employees who typically are first to chime in on new projects and ideas but lately, they have become more silent, maybe even sullen. Then talk with them about your observations.  Check in with them and see how they’re doing.

Have you spent time with someone and the words they use to describe their life and situation seem so dark and heavy they are unable to see any light or hope?  Are they using a lot of first-person pronouns like “I” or “me” in their conversations?  Are their discussions loaded with superlatives like “should” or
“must.”^[6]  Then lovingly look them in the eyes and quietly ask, “You seem pretty overwhelmed right now; have you thought of hurting yourself?”  If they hesitate or say ‘yes,’ then assure them you will walk with them until they are feeling whole again as you help them find clinical help and guidance.

Church, we have to be looking out for and listening to each other.  Ultimately, what a suicidal person chooses to do or not is totally up to them and is their responsibility; if a person is going to go and do a selfish act of self-harm, then there is nothing you can do about it.  Yet, you and I are the embodiment of patient, grace-full love to other sheep like us who are broken and weighed down.  Let’s pledge to be more attentive to the bleating sheep whose cries are cries of pain and let them know all hear them.  We may not be able to “fix” their pain, but at least we can embody Jesus as they go through it.  If you or someone you know is talking, thinking or fantasizing about self-harm, please let me know.  For you see, because we have a friend like Jesus, we are to have good hope for all.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Pres Fort Lauderdale
401 SE 15^th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Wrisley@outlook.com
Wrisley.org

© 2018 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

^[1] John Woodrow Cox, Steven Rich, Allyson Chiu, John Muyskens and Monica Ulmanu, More than 215,000 students have experienced gun violence at school since Columbine, The Washington Post, May 25, 2018.  Accessed on 6/14/2018 at https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/local/school-shootings-database/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.71568092eaf0.

^[2] Ritu Prasad, Why US Suicide Rate is on the Rise, BBC News, June 8, 2018.  Accessed 6/14/18 at

^[3] Ibid.

^[4] Rhitu Chatterjee, US Suicide Rates are Rising Faster Among Women than Men, NPR, June 14, 2018. Accessed on 6/14/18 at  https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/06/14/619338703/u-s-suicides-rates-are-rising-faster-among-women-than-men

^[5] The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

^[6] Elizabeth Bernstein, The Words That Can Signal if You’re Depressed, The Wall Street Journal, June 11, 2018.  Accessed on 6/14/18 at https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-words-that-can-signal-youre-depressed-1528724000.

The Message: How to Stay Focused on the Source #3: It’s Who We Are; 2 Corinthians 4.3-6

Sermon:          How to Stay Focused on the Source #3: It’s Who We Are
Scripture:       2 Corinthians 4.3-6
Preacher:        Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:        First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale
Date:               February 11, 2018, Transfiguration Sunday

You may watch or listen to the message here.

2 Corinthians 4.3-6

³And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.⁴In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. ⁵For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.[1]

One of the highlights of this past week was to stop by the Daddy-Daughter Valentines Dance and seeing all the dads, granddads, and uncles there dressed up with their girls in their finest. A flood of memories washed over me as I walked around the room greeting everyone; I found myself back at the time when my girls were their age; you see, I am a proud dad of two incredible daughters.

One of the memories that came up for me was when my girls both tried to learn how to play musical instruments. Lauren, when she was in second grade, tried to learn viola. Now Lauren over the years has shown to be an extremely talented woman in many, many areas but the viola wasn’t one of them.  She practiced and practiced and just got frustrated and stopped playing because the sound emitting from that viola sounded like squealing cats. Kelly and I were all too happy for her to try picking up some other new talent! Little did we know her little sister, Kate, was watching.

Kate decided that she too wanted to learn an instrument and we thought to ourselves, “greeaaat.” Kate wanted to learn piano.  Now this wasn’t a bad thing really because we could get her an electronic keyboard to practice on daily; those keyboards have sound jacks in the side the student can plug in headphones to hear themselves play and we didn’t have to endure the hours and hours of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, which we learned by the way, was written by Mozart. We finally got an incredible teacher for her, Natasha, who was trained in the Moscow Conservatory. She was a great teacher.  She took the time to teach Kate the knowledge and theory of the music, how the particular composer wrote scores in a way that brought out certain musical themes. She taught Kate how to play on the keyboard with her hands right over the tops of the keys allowing her fingers to play the notes with finesse and a light touch.

And she made Kate practice. Like every parent of a child learning an instrument, we made it through the Twinkle, Twinkle and Mary Had a Little Lamb stages. For us, it was like an audible game of Donkey Kong and we could not wait for Kate to get to the next level! And she did with ever-increasing frequency to boot! She soaked in Natasha’s knowledge of theory and practiced her heart out. And then something happened. Kate was no longer learning to play the piano; she had become a pianist! By the time she reached high school, she had scores from Bach and Beethoven memorized so that when she sat down to play, she felt the music, she expressed the music through the piano.  It was a beautiful transformation and metamorphosis to hear and witness!

Beloved, this is what we have been addressing the last few weeks. We began together by learning there are ten solid stones that we are to build our Christian faith in Christ upon. These stones are the knowledge and theory we each have of God. Building upon that foundational knowledge, we discovered last week that we are to express that knowledge and test it out by way of some basic Christian practices like worship, Bible Study, exercising our Spiritual gifts and financial resources, caring for one another in biblical community, serving others in Christian service as the hands and feet of Christ, and advancing our faith through spiritual retreat to name a few.

We have been reminding ourselves that in order to maintain focus on the Source of our Faith in Jesus Christ, we have to know certain things (orthodoxy) and then we express what we know and believe through practical experiences (orthopraxy).   Think of it this way: What we learn in our head is reinforced when it is expressed through our ‘hands’ over repetition. And then over time, something magical, marvelous and divine happens: Our knowledge and all of our practicing will eventually enable us to ‘live the music’ of our Christian life.  We no longer know facts and theories about God. We no longer are practicing our faith in order to become more like Jesus. No, there’s a change that happens. We become the music, we become manifestations of Jesus to the world.

Today is Transfiguration Sunday.  It’s the day we remember that Jesus was transformed before the disciples and they beheld him, experienced him, as the Christ of God. Our scripture this morning from Paul talks about this as well. He is reminding us that as God shines upon and in our lives, specifically in our hearts, then the glory of God shines back out with the light of Christ to others! People encounter you or me and they know they have experienced something different. It’s not that they experience a different form of you or me; what they realize is that through us they have felt the Presence of the Holy even if it’s but only for a moment.

Paul describes it as, “God has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” It’s another one of those instances when Hollywood ripped off a biblical idea in the old movie, E.T., when Neil Diamond sings, “Turn on your Heartlight.”  You see, it’s not enough to know about God in Jesus Christ.  It’s not enough to practice living a life like Jesus lived for the sake of imitating him. The goal is that what we know about God and how we practice our faith transforms, transfigures our heart’s holy glow in our everyday lives. Our knowledge of the faith, our practice of our faith, over time through the Holy Spirit, change who we are on the inside.

Think for a moment with me of those people you know that when you are around them, you experience something that’s really different, and as a result, you become changed, too. You know what it’s like to encounter that type of Christ-follower.  They’re different.  They’re different, not in some obnoxious, odiferous way that smells of all the culture’s negative connotations of Christians as self-righteous, overly pietistic, intolerant moral do-gooders that sit in judgment over everyone else! On the contrary, they smell the aroma of Christ. We see the glory of God reflected off the face of Jesus in them. All of their knowledge, all of their combined life’s Christian practices have made them “become the music” and have transfigured them to reflect the glory of God! When you and I are around these people who have become the living music of Christ in the world, we know that we are in the presence of a loving person.

We know that we are in the presence of a joy-full person.

We know that we are in the presence of a peaceful person.

We know that we are in the presence of a patient, unhurried person.

We know that we are in the presence of a humble person.

We know that we are in the presence of a faith-full person.

We know that we are in the presence of a forgiving person.

We know that we are in the presence of a self-controlled person.

We know that we are in the presence of a thank-full person.

We know that we are in the presence of a sacrificial person.

When we are mingling with those types of people, we, in turn, become more loving, more joy-full and peaceful, more patient, humble, and forgiving, faithful, self-controlled and sacrificial people as well.

Jesus knew the Law of the Jews.  He practiced what he knew among all the people he hung with. It’s at that point, Jesus “becomes the music” for all those he encounters. All of his knowledge of God, the way he practices what he believes about God, has transformed and transfigured Jesus into the person he is in God.

What we know shapes what we do and what we know and do then shapes who we are in our virtuous center called the heart. Then something else happens! We are transformed as well because the more we reflect and express the light of Christ, that will then further transform what we think we know about God, how we practice our faith in God and eventually transform the music our Christian life continues to play to the world. It becomes an ecstatic ongoing transformation of who each of us is, who we are as a church, in Jesus.

So, let’s learn about those ten stones to build our knowledge of God in Christ.  Let’s practice over and over again those ten spiritual disciplines about what we believe. And eventually, beloved, our lives and this church will display shine and play ten basic melodies of who God is.  So, let’s begin the journey!  Who is with me?  Amen.

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Presbyterian Church
401 SE 15th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
pwrisley@drew.edu
wrisley.org

© 2018 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church, Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.  All rights reserved.

[1] The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

The Message: How to Stay Focused on the Source #2: It’s What We Do – Developing a Rule for Faith and Life, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Sermon:          How to Stay Focused on the Source No. 2:
                           It’s What We Do. Developing a Rule for Faith and Life
Scripture:        1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Preacher:        Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Location:         First Pres Fort Lauderdale
Date:                 February 4, 2018, Communion Sunday

Our scripture this morning is from Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church.  Turn to 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.  Listen to the Word of God!

1 Corinthians 9.24-27 

²⁴Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. ²⁵Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. ²⁶So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; ²⁷but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.

Today we are picking up in the second message in a series on how we are to stay focused on the Source of our Faith, Jesus Christ. Last week, we noted ten stones of basic Christian knowledge each of us are to lay to build a strong foundation for our faith. At the very minimum, we heard that we each need to know something of the Bible, the nature of God, the human condition, Jesus, Salvation, the Holy Spirit, the Church, Christian vocation, the spiritual world, and the Future. This foundation creates for you and me our understanding of orthodoxy, or better yet, our good beliefs. The problem with orthodoxy is even the Devil understood what sound beliefs were.  It’s one thing to know the right thing; it’s entirely different to actually do it and live it out.

This morning, we are going to look at what we build upon that foundation, that orthodoxy we know, and these are the ten basic expressions of living our faith out in daily lives. These ten basic Christian practices are tangible ways you and I can enflesh our faith and make it real. These practices are designed to take us out of our heads with what we know and throw us into the world, so we express what we know through what we do!  Good orthodoxy generates active orthopraxy; in other words, our good doctrine generates active practice in our daily life.

The Winter Olympic Games are about to begin in Korea this week and there was an article on the Norwegian ski team’s training regimen. After hours of lifting weights, skiing, and training, they finish their day with refreshing ice baths! It’s not exactly how I would want to finish my day on the slopes; but the athletes realize that in order to be competitive and stand a chance against others, they have to take charge of their body and make it yield to their purposes. In order to live out their physical prowess, they have to become disciplined and intentional with what they do with and to their bodies. It’s not enough to know how to ski well; unless they practice what they know the skiers will never be any better than anyone else.

This is what the Apostle Paul is getting at in our message today. Yes, he knows Jesus. Yes, he has faith. Yes, has the Spirit. He has the pedigree of being a Hebrew of Hebrews. He has the knowledge and critical understanding of the Jewish Law and Torah. Yet, Paul realizes that unless he trains how to apply his knowledge of Jesus, his faith, and all of his vast theological head knowledge, he is no better off than before. Paul knows that he knows that he knows that good orthodoxy, good thinking leads to orthopraxy, good practice.

Paul realizes that good, sound orthodox knowledge about God is nigh worthless if that knowledge is not enfleshed and put into practice.  Again, I go back to Jesus’ temptations after his baptism.  The Devil knew all the right answers and could quote the Bible as good as any Southern Baptist from Georgia; the problem was he did not practice what he preached!

Paul is reminding the Corinthians that in order to live the Christian life, they need to hit the spiritual gymnasium. It’s not enough to know that God is love; it requires us to figure out how to express that Godly love to the most ungodly people around us.  That takes practice.

A market report showed that last year, Americans spent over $52 billion dollars on sports equipment and gym memberships.^[1] I don’t knock anyone who has done that as I wish all the sports I competed in did not ruin my hips so I could go to the gym; I simply mention it to ask how much are we Christ-Followers investing in going to our spiritual gymnasiums?  Is it comparable? Have we become spiritual consumers that practice our faith when it’s convenient and works well with the Little League schedule?  Do our spiritual disciplines and practices compare to the time we are spending at LA Fitness?

Centuries ago, the ancient church fathers and mothers developed the notion of a spiritual rule for faith and life.  Essentially, a spiritual rule for faith and life would be like a training schedule a trainer would give you when you went to work out in the gym.  Instead of telling you to run this far, do this many sets of weights, and stretch these muscles, a spiritual rule for faith and life is a way for a Christ-Follower to outline what spiritual goals they want to accomplish.  It outlines their plan to stay spiritually fit and applying the knowledge they have acquired.

My rule for faith and life, for example, means that six out of seven mornings a week, I commit to prayerfully reading the scripture with the lectionary and having prayer for one hour before I leave the house.  I worship in community at least once a week. I give back the financial blessings I’ve been given so that others will be blessed as well.  My goal is to read 40 books a year to stretch my theological muscles. I share what Jesus has done and is doing in my life with others I meet at restaurants or in other social gatherings. I attempt to get away alone three times a year for a few days to really focus on my relationship with God in prayer.  These are some of the items I strive for in my spiritual rule for faith and life.  What is on your training schedule for your rule of faith and life?

What we know impacts what we do. Orthodoxy leads to orthopraxy. Over the course of our time together, we are going to intentionally learn about and practice ten basic Christian practices that will serve as your spiritual gym membership routine. What are those ten practices?

1. Worship in community and alone
2. Christ-Followership imitating Jesus
3. Prayer
4. Bible Study
5. Advancing our faith and the Kingdom through personal Retreat
6. Caring for others in Biblical Community
7. Trusteeship of Our Spiritual Gifts
8. Active Christian Service and Mission
9. Winsomely sharing our faith
10. Trusteeship of Our Finances and Possessions

Beloved, what is your spiritual rule for faith and life?  How are you putting what you know about God in Christ to work in faithful Christian practice? Which of the ten basic spiritual practices are you willing to put on your daily regimen to help you live out your life of Christ with your neighbor?

The late Greek Orthodox staretz^[2] or holy man, Porphyrios once said, “When people are empty of Christ, a thousand and one other things come and fill them up: jealousies, hatreds, boredoms, melancholy, resentment, a worldly outlook, worldly pleasures. Try to fill your soul with Christ so it’s not empty.”

Friends, our spiritual practices and rules for faith and life are not meant to be shallow acts of works righteousness; they are instead a way to fill ourselves up with Christ and exercise what we know about God. Our practices help us learn how to better express God and His purposes to those around us.  As a pastor reminded us at presbytery yesterday, there can be no growth, no change without a little pain.  Spiritual practices and rule for faith and life are not easy to keep; they are not meant to be.  They are designed to help us grow deeper, grow stronger.

Today we experience a practice Jesus himself practiced. It’s a totally self-emptying for the benefit of others through the Lord’s Supper.  In this meal, he is broken and given to you and me so that we might become fuller of the love, grace, and peace of Jesus Christ. As it cost him to practice his faith, so too does it cost us.  What’s your rule for faith and life?

Patrick H. Wrisley, D.Min.
Senior Pastor & Teaching Elder
First Pres Fort Lauderdale
401 SE 15^th Avenue
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
Wrisley@outlook.com
Wrisley.org

© 2018 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and may not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.

^[1] $100 billion — that’s how much Americans spent on sports over the past 12 months, Published: Sept 12, 2017, 4:25 p.m. ET, by Steven Kutz, Market Watch. Posted on https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-much-americans-spend-on-sports-in-one-chart-2017-09-11 and accessed on 2/4/18.

^[2] Also written as ‘starets,’ please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starets.