Sermons & Meditations

Matthew 10:26-33
Presented June 22, 2008, by J.D. Kline
The Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

Ask most people what the most repeated phrase in the Scriptures is, and many, I suspect, particularly those raised with the notion of an angry or vengeful God out to get us, would assume it to be some kind of stern or demanding admonition: Shape up! Repent! Live more faithfully! Behave yourself! Pray diligently! Love God and one another, or else! But the most common admonition in the Scriptures is not one intended to strike fear into our hearts, but the very opposite. Indeed, this much-repeated message has to do with the letting go of our fears—fears that inhibit us, fears that hinder our relationship with God and with one another, fears that keep us from walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Is it any wonder that the most frequent call in all Scripture is the call, Have no fear! Fear not! Be not afraid!

In the birth narratives found in Luke’s Gospel, it is a dominant message of the angels. Appearing to the priest Zechariah while he is serving in the inner sanctum of the Temple in Jerusalem, the angel Gabriel, bringing word that Zechariah and Elizabeth will give birth to a son, John the Baptist, begins with the caution, Do not be afraid! (1:13).In like manner, Gabriel appears to Mary, bringing news that Mary shall conceive and bear Jesus, the Son of the Most High God. After the startling words, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you,” Gabriel continues, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (1:28-30). And the angel who appears to the group of shepherds in the hills surrounding Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth announces, “Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing good news of great joy for all the people” (2:10), a message that is followed by a multitude of the heavenly host singing of peace on earth and good will for all humanity and all creation.

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Matthew 7:21-29
Presented June 8, 2008, by J.D. Kline
The Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

This morning’s text stands at the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, the largest single collection of Jesus’ teachings recorded in the Gospels. Clarence Jordan, noted for his founding in the 1940s of an interracial Christian community, Koinonia Farm in Americus, Georgia, writes in his book about the Sermon on the Mount,

It is difficult to be indifferent to a wide-awake Christian, a real live son [or daughter] of God. It is even more difficult to be indifferent to a whole body of Christians. You can hate them, or you can love them, but one thing is certain—you can’t ignore them . . . . They confront you with an entirely different way of life, a new way of thinking, a changed set of values, a higher standard of righteousness. In short, they face you with the kingdom of God on earth, and you have to accept it or reject it.

Truth is, there’s little about the life of Christian discipleship—walking in the footsteps of Jesus, seeking to embody and enflesh the character and values of Jesus, clothing ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, peace, and self-giving love—there’s little about all this that comes easily or naturally. You and I are challenged to live life based on a markedly different perspective than that of much of the world around us.

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Romans 8:37-39
Presented June 1, 2008, by J.D. Kline
The Third Sunday after Pentecost

One of my favorite presenters at the annual Festival of Homiletics I attend is Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann, who used the phrase, exuberant generosity, to describe God’s activity in the world. A key task of the church, asserts Brueggemann, is to reframe the narrative or story by which we live our lives. It is a matter of putting on a new perspective towards life—coming to live in the light of our Creator God’s exuberant generosity. It is a perspective that runs markedly counter to the framing story of the culture in which we live. The primary narrative, the dominant message, of the world around us is one of despair—despair that grows from the fear of scarcity. Not enough land and oil and water to sustain our way of living, not enough food to nourish all of the peoples of the world, not enough love and courage to envision anything other than what we presently know and experience. The result of this focus on scarcity is a lifestyle that in many ways is the polar opposite of exuberant generosity. Much of life is spent in clutching and hoarding—holding firmly onto what we have, constantly being wary and on guard, lest others grab from us what we have come to claim as rightfully ours.

The gospel story of Jesus, on the other hand, is grounded in a markedly different perspective towards life; rather than focusing on scarcity, the gospel assumes an abundance of gifts. Unlike the narrative of the dominant culture that seldom considers anything other than material gifts, the gospel story focuses on gifts of the Spirit. The gospel story literally sings with freshness, for it invites and challenges us to move beyond self-preoccupation to a life that reflects the values of Jesus, the beautiful Savior whose life and ministry and death and resurrection guide us along pathways of compassion, neighborliness, justice, peace, loving-kindness, forgiveness, community, generosity. The gospel narrative finds its grounding in a life of trust—trust in the exuberant generosity of a God who loves us with a love that will not let us go.

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