God's Love
Advent Conspiracy, prt. 3
Wildwind Community Church
David Flowers
December 20, 2009
Mark 12:30–31 (TNIV)
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Luke 11:42 (TNIV)
42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.
John 3:16–17 (TNIV)
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 5:42 (TNIV)
42 but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts.
John 13:1 (TNIV)
1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
John 15:17 (TNIV)
17 This is my command: Love each other.
Romans 8:35; 37-–39 (TNIV)
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?... 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:9 (TNIV)
9 However, as it is written:“What no eye has seen,what no ear has heard,and what no human mind has conceived—these things God has prepared for those who love him”—
1 Corinthians 8:1 (TNIV)
1 ...knowledge puffs up while love builds up.
Galatians 5:6 (TM)
6 For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.
Philippians 1:9 (TM)
9 So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately...
1 Peter 4:8 (TM)
8 Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything.
1 John 3:11 (TM)
11 For this is the original message we heard: We should love each other.
1 John 4:7–12 (TNIV)
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
John 13:35 (TNIV)
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you:
-believe the right beliefs
-are in the correct political party
-prove the other guy wrong
-vote properly
-make enough money
-go to church
-love your pastor
-give above 10%
-sweat the small stuff
-read your Bible
-pray daily
-get some help
-fight against the man
-are the man
-rage against the machine
-are the one who built the machine
-do your devotions
-ask good questions
-give good answers
-stay out of the wrong beds
-don't smoke
-don't swear
-don't wear long hair
-support your community
-help old ladies cross the street
-are a member of my church
-memorize scripture
-fast
-avoid R-rated movies
-avoid G-rated movies
-avoid movies directed by Quentin Tarrantino
-avoid alcohol
What's the answer?
John 13:35 (TNIV)
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Between 3-6 B.C., Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem. (Jesus was not born in the year 0). You know the story. Humble birth. Quietness. Shepherds and angels. Peace on earth. Lived a life of love, taught constantly about love, drew people around him and told them to love. Loving like Jesus said cost something -- cost a lot. Ancient Palestine was under the boot of the Roman Empire, and Rome didn't much care what or who you worshipped, as long as Caesar was somewhere in the mix. Of course Christians weren't into worshipping Caesar, so they were terribly persecuted by Rome for a couple of centuries.
Fast forward to 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine of Rome converted to Christianity. Suddenly it was safe, and legal, to be a Christian. Being a Christian suddenly cost less, so a lot more people started doing it. Huge buildings were erected because tons of people could worship together for the first time without fear. With Constantine, the church moved away from being a passionate spiritual movement and became an institution, dedicated to preserving its history, interested in maintaining authoritarian control over the believers, and convinced that everything it said was gospel -- infallible is still the word for this belief.
John 1:1–5 (TNIV)
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
This, my friends, is mystery. It's about as far away as you can get for what the church morphed into after it became safe to be a Christian in public. The vast mystery of Jesus, creator of the universe, born to us in squalor, in poverty, and in anonymity was somehow replaced with doctrinal statements, with wealth and luxury, with certainty about everything. Of course the birth of Christ is nothing if not mystery. Christians claim Jesus' mother was a Virgin. That is mystery. We claim that the circumstances of his birth were predicted by prophets hundreds of years earlier. Mystery. We claim that he walked on water, raised the dead, and commanded other spirits. Mystery. We claim that he grew up and bore in his own body the sin of the entire world to somehow make it possible for us to be united to God. Not a single theologian on this planet has ever been able to explain exactly what that means and how that happened. It is mystery. And the greatest mystery of all is the incredible, truly unconditional, absolute love of Jesus for every human being born before he was born and every human being born since.
When Constantine converted and the church started becoming an institution, based around strengthening and preserving itself, there was a group of people who couldn't tolerate it. They saw clearly what was happening. They knew that it amounted to a huge adventure in missing the point. The church was growing in size, in strength, in number -- but it was losing a grip on the message Jesus had always taught. The message of love. This group of people fled into the desert, lived simple lives, and practiced love toward God and one another. They became known as the Desert Fathers and Mothers. You might say that during this time of the increasing expansion of the institutional church, these people were the keepers of the commands of Jesus that we live in love. Of course eventually, the church that claimed to be the infallible, holy, universal arm of God himself took up arms and began slaying other God-seekers -- other people who were searching for truth, for God, for something to give meaning and purpose to their lives. Now you have Christians and Muslims killing each other. Of course you had Jews and Muslims killing each other. And of course even today there are still Christians who carry animosity toward the Jewish people for what they say is their culpability for killing Jesus. Of course that's just an excuse to hate, and if that excuse were not readily available, those same people would find another one. Then of course there is the brutality the church showed during the Inquisition, with its forced conversions, killing, torture, and all manner of violence. I used to sing the song growing up, "Onward Christian soldiers - marching as to war. With the cross of Jesus, going on before." Is it any wonder that the legacy of Christians today in America is one of judgmentalism, self-absorption, hatred, arrogance, and hypocrisy? All of these things I have talked about happened under the banner of the cross of the Lord of Love - the same Lord we celebrate today - the same one called the Prince of Peace. Thankfully, the Desert Fathers and Mothers continued believing in Jesus' universal message of love. It is largely because of those people that we can still trace with any consistency the message of Jesus all the way through history back to love. You'll hear plenty more about them and their message in future sermons.
Today I just want to point out that as long as Christianity has been around, there have been people stepping back, looking closely at how it is practiced around them, and saying, "Wait a minute, what's up with that? How come we say this but do that? What would it mean for us to actually love the way Jesus said to, the way they tried to in the early church?"
John 13:35 (TNIV)
35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
Love. Our love for each other is what will show people we are followers of Jesus. Is it then any wonder that when those claiming to be Jesus' followers do not love, we are called hypocrites? Jesus said that's what would happen. He said people would know we were his disciples if we loved, which means they would not know if we did not love.
So what WOULD it mean for us to love the way Jesus said to? Since nearly the entire history of the church is about the church proclaiming God's love, yet failing to practice it, I think it's not only possible, but likely, that the church is still doing that today, and that we will keep doing it unless we choose to be the ones who step back, look closely at how Christianity is practiced around us, and say, "Wait a minute. What's up with that? How come we say this but do that?" How come, for example, we serve a God who gave us 2,350 verses about how critical it is that we approach money properly -- many of them specifically urging us to reprioritize our lives in light of God's heart for the poor -- and yet we spend huge amounts of money on trash every year at Christmas time? Why do we do that? Most Christians go just as crazy as secular people this time of year, only many Christians do it with this strange "I'm keeping Jesus in the season," attitude -- but I'm not sure how some of us are actually doing that, other than by just saying it. As the church, the ones who really kind of "own" Christmas, how are we celebrating it differently than anyone else?
Our call to you over the past few weeks has been a call to action. But not just a call to do things differently or better. It's much deeper than that. It's a call, actually, to repentance. The word "repent" comes from the Greek word "metanoia," which literally means to change your mind. I think the church is in need of some repentance over how we practice Christmas -- we need a change of mind. And changes of mind usually don't come over night. Sometimes we need to be introduced to an idea, then let it sit and incubate for a while. So our aim this year was to introduce to you the idea that most Christians, though we loudly proclaim to be "doing Christmas" differently, aren't really doing it that differently in any way that actually matters. See, as difficult as it may be for us to consider these ideas, I want Wildwind to be more like the Desert Father and Mothers than like the rest of the early church -- just growing in numbers, but not learning to live more deeply in love. As long as Wildwind exists, I want it to be a prophetic place -- not in the sense of foretelling, but in the sense of forthtelling -- calling a spade a spade, being willing to say, "What's wrong with this place," when we can clearly see that the church is not on the right track -- even, and perhaps, especially, when that includes us!
Let's listen again to the Christmas story.
Luke 2:8–20 (TNIV)
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for some of the people. Part of the people. The ones who agree with us. For the chosen people. The Western people. The Republican people. The lucky people. The RIGHT people. The rich people. The American people. The decent people. The Methodist people. The Baptist people. The Catholic people. The Jewish people. The Christian people. all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
This is the Jesus we celebrate. A universal Savior, born for all human beings everywhere, in every time. And how could the eternal Word of God NOT be? How could the eternal God be contained, or constricted, into some petty local interest, or some quirky religious platitude or formula, no matter how strongly believed by you or me? No, good news of great joy for ALL the people.
As a church of prophets today - a church unafraid -- not intimidated by the pressure of traditions, Christian or secular, or held in slavery even to our own precious perspectives -- how can Wildwind Church bring good news of great joy? Don't get me wrong. Christy and I are fully planning on giving good news of great joy to our children in the form of some gifts this year that were purchased for them in infinite love, with deep thanksgiving. I'm more excited for Christmas with my family this year than I have ever been. It's wonderful to give good gifts to those we love -- my question is, this year are we prepared to start thinking about those we often don't think to love -- the suffering, ignored ones - the ones whom Jesus loves.
Matthew 25:34–40 (TM)
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. 35 And here’s why:I was hungry and you fed me,I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,I was homeless and you gave me a room,36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes,I was sick and you stopped to visit,I was in prison and you came to me.’37 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? 38 And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ 40 Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’
In this story the king says, "That was me. I was the one overlooked and ignored." And so Jesus was, from the day he was born, to the day we he died, and right up to the present moment. And I don't just mean by a secular world that cares nothing for him. I mean by a religious world that often cares more for its own interpretations, and for protecting its own interests, and for carefully guarding beliefs ABOUT Jesus than it cares for Jesus himself. Now this is the way it will always be. We cannot change the world. But we can change our way of being in the world, so that this is not our way. We can simply stop decrying how commercial THE SEASON has become, and then just quietly and lovingly set out to make sure that we as PEOPLE are rejecting commercialism. We can repent - change our minds about it - come out and be clean and make new choices, and allow God to breathe new life into this season in the process. Slow down. Spend less. Give more. Worship God fully, with grateful hearts. Love all people, the way Jesus clearly and unequivocally taught us to. And we can do this this year, not as a program, an initiative, but we can adopt it as a new way of life, allowing it to call us more deeply into the love of Jesus every year, deepening our commitment to love not just our families and friends, but all of the people God loves and cares for. And who does God love and care for? Try this:
Isaiah 43:6–7 (TM)
6 I’ll send orders north and south:‘ Send them back. Return my sons from distant lands, my daughters from faraway places.7 I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.’ ”
That's who God cares for. This is the heart of God, and we are called not to go out and start doing stuff and then ask God to bless it, but rather to join God in accomplishing the work that is close to God's heart. God's heart is a heart of love for every single one of his sons and daughters.
Will you dare to consider going there with me and with Pastor Jason this year? In a couple of weeks we're going to give you an opportunity to do that. According to the World Water Council:
•1.6 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
•2.6 billion people lack adequate sanitation
•1.8 million people die every year from diarrheal diseases, 90 percent of whom are children under the age of 5
•3,900 children die every day because of dirty water or poor hygiene
Now the most tragic tragedies are always the ones that don't have to happen. And in today's world, these tragedies don't have to happen. In 2006, only five churches participated in the Advent Conspiracy, and those five churches collected nearly half a million dollars. This dug a high capacity well in Nicaragua, and 13 deep wells in Liberia. These are sustainable resources that will service and save the lives of thousands of people for decades!
Now it just so happens that the Free Methodist Church is involved in projects like this around the world, and in two weeks we're going to take a collection, which will go toward helping to dig wells for people who are dying from preventable diseases because they drink filthy water. Last week Jason gave you some ideas of how you can decide on your level of involvement. One more idea. Two years ago, we set up a display and collected sponsors for needy children around the world. We got 22 children sponsored that year, at a cost of about $21/month. This comes to $252 a year, per child, or $5544 per year for all of them. And these are ongoing, yearly commitments, so that's awesome! Would you consider making THAT kind of commitment? Could you write a check for $252 - the amount it would cost you to sponsor a child for one year?
Each family needs to carefully consider what they will do. I'd like to send a substantial amount of money to our well project, so will you carefully consider it for the next couple of weeks? We'll move forward with a collection at that time, and we'll be sure to give you plenty of notice so you can bring cash with you.
Jesus was born into this world to launch a divine conspiracy of love. What better time than the celebration of his birth to join him in that conspiracy by blessing others of his deeply loved children, who are living in need that we cannot begin to imagine. Let's finish, but I'm not going to pray. Instead I'm going to ask YOU to pray, for you to respond to God. We'll take about 30 seconds just to sit in silence, and I ask you to simply take to God what is happening inside of you right now in this moment, and let God walk with you.
