5th Sunday after Pentecost
Matthew 10: 24-39
Proper 7
The Gaze of God
Today in America, we are also facing another challenge to our relationship to God, the individuality of faith, private faith, which is seen as more important than the body of Christ; the church individual, and the church as a whole. Our faith is more than individuals, it is rooted and grounded in the church. Paul’s speaks to this very clearly in Romans 12:12 as he says: "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many are one body, so it is with Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews, or Greeks, slaves or free-and all were made to drink of one Spirit."
This responsibility to the corporate whole, to the church body is missing today as many people think of only their individual faith, their private feelings, and have no sense of loyalty or responsibility to the members of the church.
Remember back to Jimmy and Tammi Baker who are clear this examples of this. Many people gave faithfully to them, hoping their money would he used to further the kingdom of God, but in fact, much of it was used for the comfort, and pleasure of the Bakers. A million dollar house, new fancy cars, expensive dresses and suits, all of this, while millions are starving, while many elderly are eating cat and dog food, as many live shut up in their homes and apartments, fearful of coming out because of the threat of crime and no one being around to help them.
While many are starving, fearful, hurting and lonely, the Bakers were denying the trust, the faith of the community of believers who gave so faithfully to them. To me, that is their sin! not being, faithful, not being responsible to the community of believers.
Individual denominations try to say they have the only true faith, they are the only true believers. They try top say if your faith is not like ours, then it is no good. You have to believe like we do. So they try to rob other denominations of believers, because they believe their faith is the only true faith.
They have lost the wholeness of the body of Christ. All denominations have a genuine, true faith in Jesus Christ. Each is entitled to display that belief in their own unique way. We have far to much proselytizing. We need to respect each other’s denomination’s believe, and instead of fighting for those who already believe, we need to reach out to those who have no faith.
In our gospel lesson, Jesus also speaks out on the issue of oneness and togetherness in the body of Christ as He says, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master." There is no one up-mans-ship in the church. No one is better than another! No one’s faith is perceived better than another! No one’s private feelings should be foisted off onto another, but together the body of Christ, the church should grow in mutual faith, in mutual love, in mutual respect for each other.
Paul says in Romans 12.5. "so we though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."
From Emphasis magazine comes the following by Pastor Maseroni, " I know a pastor who had a church," he says," whose leader said to him," ’We want the full gospel of Christ’s saving grace preached in our church. However, when they heard the fullness of the gospel, it meant they had to change some of their preconceived notions and they refused. They began to harass the pastor and tried to find ways of stopping his preaching and ending his ministry. In attempting to compromise and meet their expressed needs, the pastor did everything possible but it was never enough."
As Jesus says in our gospel lesson, " Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword." In the proclamation of the gospel, not everyone is going to like everything, but we have a responsibility to the community as a whole to respect the differences, to uphold each other in love, and most importantly to put aside our preconceived ideas for the witness of the gospel, for God’ s glory.
Paul says further in Ephesians 4,"And His gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the equipment of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, to mature person hood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wile. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the dead, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and up builds itself in love."
Denying the body of Christ, denying the church for individual faith, for personal rewarding experiences of faith is weakening the body of Christ, is dividing the church, is making the church less strong.
Today we do not have the notion that we are responsible for another in the church. Do you feel responsible for the faith of the person sitting next to you this morning? Do you feel it is your duty to help that person to know Jesus Christ in a full and rich way? Or, are you concerned only about Your faith, your relationship to God?
When I graduated from high school we had a class song which I will I I never forget because, even though my class had over 800 members, we wanted to be united and to feel a fellowship, a oneness, so our song was entitled, ’’No man is an island.’’
The words say, "No man is an island, no man stands alone, each man’s joy is joy to me, each man’s grief is my own. We need one another, so I will defend, each man as my brother, each man as my friend. I saw the people gathered. I heard the music start, the song that they were singing is ringing in my heart. No man is an island, no man stands alone, each man’s joy is joy to me, each man’s grief is my own. We need one another, so I will defend, each man as my brother, each man as my friend."
As God gazes into your heart and soul, can He see that you live by the words of that song, each person is a brother and sister to you in Christ? Each person’s faith is important to you? As God gazes into your heart, does He see that you accept a responsibility for the body of Christ, that you want to build up the body, that your neighbor’s faith life is important to you? What does God see as He gazes into your heart ?
When God gazes into your heart, does He see one who is concerned about living for ones self’, living for me myself and I? Does He see one who is concerned about your own personal faith? Or does Cod see, as He gazes into your heart, one who is willing to forsake self and live for Him and your brother and sister in Christ?
Does God’s gaze see one who is willing to turn self over to Him? Does God see one who is concerned not only about the physical welfare of your neighbor, but the spiritual welfare as well? Does God see one who is concerned about the body of Christ? Does Cod see, as He gazes into your heart, one who works at building up the body of Christ? Does God see one, as He gazes into your heart, who is willing to give up preconceived notions or ideas for the well being of the body of Christ?
Does God see one who is willing to compromise so that the community may grow and mature into Christ who is the head??
Since God knows how many hairs each of us have on our heads, He surely knows the thoughts, the dreams. the wishes, the desires that are found in the deepest part of our heart. As God gazes into your heart, does He see one who trusts in His saving grace as revealed in Christ?? It can be scary to know that God gazes into the depth of our souls, but at the same time, it can be reassuring because God not only gazes with a eye of judgment, but with a heart of love. As God gazes with His heart of love as seen through Christ, He sees children who are worth redeeming, who are worth saving. You ace never too bad for God.
Leighton Ford says, "God loves us the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way . ii Isn’t that true. God loves you, but at the same time He is moving, changing, reforming, renewing, redeeming you, because you are His child."
John Brokhoff in his book Jesus...Who says on pg. 69, " Man gets his value because God loves him in spite of his unworthiness to be loved. From the beginning man disobeyed Cod’s love and will. He has been a rebel and fought against God."
He continues,"If we really want to see what value God places on us as individuals, we need just to look at the cross. See those thorns--you were worth the pain. See those nails in his hands and feet, you were the reason for it. See the agony of a miserable death ---He died just for you. And don’t forget who was on that cross. It was God’s Son--God so loved you that He gave His only Son. So that is what you mean to God. You are worth God’s self-giving in Christ. It is almost too good to believe!!!"
It is so simple. God gazes down from heaven, sees our sin, sees our individuality, our self-centeredness , our concern for me, myself and I, my neglect of my neighbor and his/her faith, but instead of punishing us, instead of writing us of f , He says , I will punish my son for their sins, then they will know how much I love them, then they will love Me in return.
They will love Me In return.
Do you love God?? Do you value His love in your life?? Do you senseand believe your worth because of God’s love for you?? Do you know if youdie tonight you will go to heaven, not because of anything you have done, but because of what Christ has done for you?? As God gazes into your heart, can He see love for Him and love for your brother and sister in Christ fill every space, every corner.
A closing poem says it well.
"Above the hills of time the Cross is gleaming.
Far as the sun when night has turned to day;
and from it love’s pure light is richly streaming,
To cleanse the heart and banish sin away,
To this dear Cross the eyes of men are turning
Today as in the ages lost to sight;
And for the love of Christ men’s hearts are yearning
As shipwrecked seamen yearn for morning light.
The Cross, O Christ, thy wondrous love revealing.
awakes our hearts as with the light of morn,
And pardon o’er our sinful spirits steal in
Tell us that we, in Thee, have been reborn.
Like echoes to sweet temple bells replying,
Our hearts, O Lord, make answer to Thy love;
And we will love Thee with a love undying,
Till we are gathered to Thy home above."
Amen
