So You’re a Priest: Getting Out of Our Own Way

This is part 15 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians (including Christmas Eve). If we are to be God’s agents on earth, if we are his ambassadors (2 Cor 5:20), if listening to us is supposed to be as good as hearing from God, then let there be nothing in us that garbles the message! Let there be no justification for dismissing the message because of the messenger!
2 Corinthians 6

Commentary

v3 stumbling block. "We give no offense." (See also Matt 4:6; John 11:9-10; Romans 9:30-33; 14:13-21; 1 Peter 2:4-8). Paul has just said that the time to receive God’s favor is now (6:2). What follows is a defense of his ministry; in no way has he caused anyone to stumble. By implication, he is charging the Corinthians to examine themselves. From 1 Corinthians, we know that there were divisions in the Corinthian church, and some members believed themselves to be more spiritual than the others. The onus is always on us to examine ourselves as Paul examines himself here.

v4b-5 in great endurance ... & hunger. The first of four sets of criteria by which Paul examines himself and we can examine ourselves. The first list is a list of trials, for certainly under duress people commonly show in what they place their trust.

v6-7a in purity ... & in the power of God. The second set of criteria is fruit of the Spirit of God. "By their fruits you will know them" (Matt 7:15-20).

v7b-8a with weapons of righteousness in the right hand & in the left ... The third set of criteria is the full spectrum of circumstances under which ministry is tested. Attacks come from all sides: from friends and enemies; in the middle of success as well as failure. Sometimes nothing is as dangerous as success.

v8b-10 genuine, yet regarded as imposters ... having nothing, & yet possessing everything. The last set of criteria is antithetical. Although we may be regarded as imposters, unknown, dying, beaten, etc. what are we really? One must always take charges against one’s life and ministry seriously, what is coming on behind the scenes?

v11-13 Although Paul appears to have been defending himself, in reality here we see his underlying intent. What are those super-spiritual in Corinth revealed to be under trial? What is their fruit? How are they under all circumstances? Who are they really? Can they reciprocate Paul’s love?

Points to Ponder

Which is the more difficult test for you: standing up under rare—but intense—trial, or the steady drain of daily troubles?

Which is the more difficult test for you: using your gifts, or misusing your gifts? (I wonder if we don’t inflect the greatest damage we when we abuse the spiritual gifts God has given us.)

Which is the more difficult test for your faith: success, or failure?

Where have you resisted examining yourself? Where is your authenticity on the line?

From whom are you withholding sincere love? Why?

Read 1 Peter 2:4-8. Others may reject the message because of its content, but give them no reason to reject the message because of its messenger!

So You’re a Priest: The Magic of Christmas

The 4th Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Matthew 2:1-12.

Probably no part of the nativity story in Christian folklore has more inaccuracies associated with it than the story of the visit by the Magi. Consider:

their number: Tradition holds that there were three magi. However, Matthew does not record the number of visitors, only the number of gifts.

their names: Although the Eastern church has a variety of names for the magi, in the West since the 8th Century the names given to the visitors are generally Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The Bible does not record their names.

their profession: Tradition holds that the visitors were kings, or wise men. The term magi (plural for mage) used to refer to them comes straight from the Greek text. Technically, a mage was a Zoroastrian priest; as part of their religion, these priests were also astrologers. As the term made its way west, it came to be used for other dabblers in the occult, e.g. Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-13) and Elymas the Sorcerer (Acts 13:6-11). Mage comes into modern English as the word magic.

their homeland: Traditions vary as to the origin of the magi, from Greece, to Egypt, to Persia, and even China. The Bible simply says, "from the east." (However, if we assume that the magi was, in fact, Zoroastrian priests, since Zoroastrianism was centered in Persia in the east, that makes for a pretty credible case.)

their date: Traditional cards and nativity scenes have the magi visiting the infant Christ in the manger; however, Matthew 2:7 records that Herod quizzed the magi about the date in the past when the nativity star had appeared and later Herod gives his soldiers orders to kill all of the boys in Bethlehem under the age of two (Matthew 2:16). Therefore, the implication is that the magi may have arrived somewhat after the birth of Jesus.

So, what do you do after you have worshipped at the feet of Jesus?

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Commentary

v16 regard from a worldly point of view. Literally, "understand according to the sinful nature." This is the mindset that looks at a saint or a sinner and only sees a way to make a buck, or an impediment to one’s way of life, or a bug to be squashed. This is the mindset of the Sanhedrin as it contemplates Jesus. This is the mindset of the gays right now as they protest Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to give the inaugural prayer. This is the mindset of American evangelicals who try to make the country a theocracy.

v17 new creation. "New" in this passage refers to something with a new, unused, or heretofore unknown quality. Thus, if anyone is in Christ, the tenor of their life is supposed to be fundamentally changed—not a little better, not a little nicer, but of a different quality. Isn’t this where we struggle? We want our old life, plus the bonus of Christ, but Christ says everything must change!

v18-19 ministry of reconciliation. By now, we should be picking up on the world "ministry", suspecting that it is the word diakonia (from which we get the word deacon) meaning humble service. Our suspicions are correct. "Reconciliation" refers to friendly relationship with God (and only to a lesser extent to relationships between people). Therefore, our humble service is to bring others into this friendly relationship.

v20 Christ’s ambassadors. One might object, saying "I cannot force anyone to change!" That is not the role of an ambassador. An ambassador is supposed to represent, to speak for, another. When Zalmay Khalilzad, current US Ambassador to the UN speaks at the UN, he does not speak for himself, but rather for the US president, George W. Bush. Khalilzad cannot force the UN to change; however, speaking with him is supposed to be as good as speaking with the president himself. Can we say that as Christians? Is speaking with us as good as speaking with Jesus? According to Paul, it’s supposed to be!

Application

The magic of Christmas is that the magi are utterly changed. It’s no illusion, no sleight of hand; they are a new creation.

Matthew 2:12 says, "Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." Ancient theologian Gregory the Great preached a famous sermon on this text, saying, "Having come to know Jesus, we are forbidden to return by the way we came." We are a new creation. The quality and direction of our lives cannot be what they were. If there is no change of quality, no change of direction, maybe there was no real change at all.

Tradition holds that the magi were baptized by the apostle Thomas on his way to India. One must imagine the magi, back from Bethlehem utterly changed. Their priestly profession had changed; they were now priests for the infant God that they had seen, but could not possibly fully comprehend. Their fascination with astrology had changed; why seek signs from God in the heavens when you have seen God in the flesh? Their orientation was turned upside-down; instead of the emphasis on moral duty and human responsibility inherent in Zoroastrianism, now their sole duty was to live as heralds, as ambassadors of the Coming King. If they were, indeed, baptized by Thomas, they lived for perhaps 40 years between the promise beheld in the visit to the Child and the fulfillment of the full gospel and sacrament of Christ delivered by Thomas. Forty years is a long time to wait, but sometimes that is what God calls us to.

Points to Ponder

Are you a new creation? Where is the quality of your life different for having Christ in you? Can anyone notice the diffference?

If we are Christians, were are called to be Christ’s ambassadors. Is speaking with us as good as speaking with Jesus?

So You’re a Priest: Live for One Thing

3rd Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Luke 2:8-20.

Later in 2 Corinthians 5, Paul will call Christians "ambassadors of reconciliation" (v18-20). In the nativity story, the shepherds becomes such ambassadors, becoming emissaries for the real, but largely unseen, world in the heavenlies which opened up briefly and gave them a message of hope which has been retold for two thousand years.

2 Corinthians 5:11-15

Commentary

v11 plain. In the Greek, this is a verb, and in the context of 2 Corinthians, with its theme of the seen and unseen kingdoms in conflict, the best meaning for the verb is probably, "To make manifest, or visible, or known, what has been hidden or unknown, to make evident, whether by words, or deeds, or in any other way." What we are is being revealed by God, and what we are is being disclosed to those around us.

v12 commend. Literally, "to stand with." When read with v11, Paul is saying, "We’re not trying to ally ourselves with you, to ingratiate ourselves to you, or align ourselves to you. Rather, we are committed to following God’s call, and I hope this way of living in the unseen kingdom of God is being revealed to you.

v14 Christ’s love compels us. The force of Christ’s love here is to hold us together when we are ready to fall to pieces.

Application

"Peace on whom God’s favor rests," the angels proclaimed to the shepherds, and so their lives are changed. Nothing changed in the visible world, the so-called "real world" of sheep, predators, fellow shepherds and families; however, everything was changed in the invisible world of the heavenlies, which briefly opened a portal and announced, "Fear not!"

The shepherds went to Bethlehem to see the special child. Did they leave anyone behind with the sheep? Was their regard for the old world now so low that they abandoned their charges? Or perhaps there was one who still feared, who believed not, and settled for staying behind with the sheep he could see instead of questing for the child he could not yet see. There always seems to be one of this sort.

God’s love compelled them to go, holding them together not just in the presence of the angels, but in the trip to Bethlehem, and in their lives thereafter. We live in a time when faith has been privatized by the secular world, but the shepherds knew differently; for them, that brief moment when the angels appeared and their subsequent trip to see the child had to be talked about. They told Mary what they saw and heard, and it was an encouragement to her. Certainly they told their friends and family later. On the surface nothing changed; certainly most people who were not there and did not see were skeptical. However, on the inside, something was different, and for some that difference became more and more apparent over time. For when one knows God’s good pleasure, it becomes easier to not sweat the small stuff, to let go of petty gripes and grievances, to rest secure in the knowledge of God’s grace.

Points to Ponder

No doubt years later the shepherds sat around on the same hills saying, "Yup, it was on a night just like tonight when the angels appeared and we went and saw the boy." Such reminiscing helped them keep faith in a faithless world. Do you have stories of when you realized God’s grace? Are you comfortable sharing your stories with others? Why or why not?

Strangely, even when we tell our stories to people who don’t believe, the act of retelling our stories can still solidify our faith. When do you think it is appropriate to share your stories with people that don’t believe? Could it be that the possibility of something else, the hope for something better, what Philip Yancey calls "rumors of another world," is what they are dying to hear? If they don’t hear from you, whom will they hear from?

So You’re a Priest: Will One Thing

Second Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Matthew 1:18-25.

For today’s sermon, and its relevance to Joseph, check out the preceding verses: the "begats", i.e. the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17).

This is part 11 of a sermon series through 2 Corinthians. For weeks now, Paul has been contrasting two different kingdoms, two very different ways of living. We live in the cusp, the no man’s land between a world of death and a world of life—a kingdom in opposition to God that seems real, but is really no more substantial than vapor, and the kingdom of God that seems to be an apparition, but is becoming more real every day.

You live in both worlds, both kingdoms—that is what it is to be human—but in which kingdom does your heart live? Søren Kierkegaard, 19th-Century Danish philosopher and theologian said in a book by the same name, "Purity of heart is to will one thing." In today’s Scripture, Joseph struggles between his plans for himself and his family and God plans, God’s call on his life. What does it mean for him to follow God?

2 Corinthians 5

Commentary

v7 by sight. Previously we read "what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Cor. 4:18). "Living by sight" means being guided by what makes sense in this world, making decisions based on the consequences this world has to offer. We are called to make choices based on a different standard.

A better translation of this verse might be, "We walk by faith, not by appearances," which better reflects the insubstantial nature of some of the worldly things we erroneously depend upon.

v9 we make it our goal. "Ambition" is too small a sense of the action; what is going on here is some more like one’s life ambition, or highest aspiration. (This sort of ambition is also found in Rom 15:20 and 1 Th 4:11).

v10 things done. This is far too nonspecific—the verb here means something more like "the things we practiced" (i.e. the things that consumed our time, that we were accomplished practitioners thereof (e.g. Rom 1:32; Phil 4:9; Col 3:9). Specifically, the verb here denotes action directed towards a specific end, as opposed to random action. The implication is that the judgment that we stand under is not for the occasional, unfortunate sin in our lives, but rather the sins that are deeply sown and repeated throughout our lives.

Application

When my two college-aged children and their friends came home for Thanksgiving, we played a game called Would You Rather?. The game consists of pairs of questions involving perplexing, and sometimes disgusting, choices, e.g.:

Would you rather eat a small can of cat food OR 7 whole lemons, seeds, pulp, juice, and rind?

Would you rather have 14 fingers OR 16 toes?

Would you rather age only from the neck up OR age only from the neck down?

Kierkegaard—and Paul in 2 Corinthians, and Matthew in the Advent reading—all speak to the war between the two kingdoms which is waged in our hearts, and minds. In this war, who will win our hearts and minds? In this war, how long will we be torn, being two-faced lovers, double-minded devotees?

Would you rather spend eternity in heaven OR would you rather burn forever in hell?

This is the way religion frequently introduces itself, but this choice is no choice at all. Practically speaking, this is not the Would You Rather? dilemma that demands our attention every day. Our daily choices are more mundane, e.g. Would you rather win tonight’s argument with your spouse, but repeat the argument again tomorrow night OR would you rather lose the argument and never repeat the argument again? Kierkegaard maintains that heaven versus hell is not a real choice and demonstrates no real purity of heart. The desire for rewards, seen or unseen, changes nobody’s heart. Perhaps this is why so many who respond to an altar call, or parrot a sinner’s prayer, have no lasting change in their lives. They are still double-minded, acting religious only when it’s in their best interest to do so.

As Joseph, would you rather raise the most famous child in history, although you are not really the child’s father OR would you continue the line of your ancestors, being the child’s biological father, but raising a child destined for obscurity?

On one level, this is the choice that Joseph has to make. It is no mistake that sudden discovery of Mary’s pregnancy in Matthew’s account comes right on the heels of the genealogy of Joseph, which mentions five women in passing:

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar ...

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth ...

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife ...

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

The first four women, all noteworthy women to be sure, are all mentioned in passing—but the line of the ancestors remains unbroken through the men. In fact, some of the mothers were not even Israelites! However, for Joseph, the refrain changes. Joseph is not called the father of Jesus; rather, he is simply "the husband of Mary" through whom the blessing comes. Adding insult to injury, Joseph is never heard from again in the gospel accounts after the one event in the life of the adolescent Jesus recorded in the gospels (Luke 2:41-50).

We are not Joseph. The great deeds presented to us are somewhat smaller: Would you rather work in obscurity, never knowing that your kindness and mercy helped change hundreds of lives OR would you rather be praised during your lifetime, never knowing if the praise was sincere or hollow? Paul appears to exhort us to strive to please God. However, ambition for good works and great deeds is not to will one thing. The ambition for great deeds is still the mark of the desire for reward and praise.

Would you rather do good OR be good?

Matthew 1:19 says Joseph was a righteous man. A fuller sense of biblical righteousness is "having the character of God." The goal of Christians is not to do good, not to earn rewards, but rather to be conformed to Christ—to think as Christ things, to feel as Christ feels, by the transforming power of the Spirit. This is a gift from God—not something we can manufacture on our own. So our ambition in Christ is not to do good deeds for the sake of doing good deeds, but rather to have the mind of Christ. If this happens, good deeds will follow.

In ethics, this is known as trait-deontological ethics. We don’t try to do good deeds to achieve good ends. We don’t try to do good deeds because we ought to. Rather, our ambition is to be the person we are created to be in Christ ... and commit the results to God. This is walking by faith and not by sight.

Points to Ponder

v 7 says, "We live by faith, not sight." Would you rather take a chance of looking like a fool to your friends but knowing God intimately OR take no chances with your friends and trust that you’re ‘good enough’?

More on living by faith, not sight:

This Christmas season, would you rather have a gift of time and no material gifts OR your most coveted material gift and no time to enjoy it?

This Christmas season, would you rather do Christmas just like you always have, even if you feel like something has been missing OR would you rather try something new, not knowing how it will turn out?