“Who Am I Meant to Be?”

From Let Your Life Speak, by Parker J. Palmer

Psalm 37:3-7

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Introduction: We all know that at the beginning of every year it is natural to think about our lives, think about what we might want to accomplish, and set some new (or old) goals. In the midst of this process it is also good to reflect on our lives and who God has meant us to be.

And yet, having said this, I think I also need to say that even more than whom we were meant to be, is who we are becoming. I believe where we get caught up in setting goals and in reflecting on our lives, is the END. We are so concerned with getting to the end that we miss out on what happens along the way. We are so concerned with finishing that we get tripped up and stumble along because we forgot to look where we are going!

We need to remember that even the disappointments and failures along the way will help us to become who God wants us to be, if we let God teach us through all aspects of life.

I. What Am I Meant to Do? (Psalm 37:4; Ephesians 2:10)

a. What I have done- There is a short writing by William Stafford,

called “Ask Me,” and it says this: “Some time when the river is ice ask me

mistakes I have made. Ask me whether what I have done is my life.

Others have come in their slow way into my thought, and some

have tried to help or to hurt: ask me what difference their

strongest love or hate has made.

I will listen to what you say. You and I can turn and look

at the silent river and wait. We know the current is there, hidden;

and there are comings and goings from miles away that hold

the stillness exactly before us. What the river says, that is what I say.”

Probably the line that stands out the most to me is: ‘Ask me whether what I have done is my life.’ Some might say, of course what I have done is my life, why would you even ask that question? And yet, if you really think about what this is saying, it is trying to help us realize that not all that we do is who we are meant to be. We have made choices that have led us down wrong paths. We have made statements that have accidentally hurt others. Not all that we have done is our life, because our life is not done; and hopefully we are not done becoming who we are meant to be.

Along with this, all too often in our world what we do as a vocation is who we are seen to be. There was a time when women were mostly housewives, stay home mothers, and that was who they were. Men worked and were seen as steel workers, or teachers, or executives. Nowadays men and women alike work out in the world, and are connected with what they do. I want to propose that our identities are too easily tied in with the vocation we hold, and that this is not how it should be.

This is true regardless of whether you like your job, your vocation, or not. This is true because there are more purposeful determining factors than just our work.

b. The heart of my identity- To find the heart of our identity we need

to follow the advice of the psalmist, who says in Psalm 37:4, “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” I have mentioned before that we can get lost in our sin, and our sinful desires will lead us astray; they are not our true desires. The only way to set ourselves on the right path, the right journey, is to delight in the Lord. In the Lord we will find the highest truths and values of life; the highest truths and values of our lives.

The key is really listening to what your life tells you what to do with you. That might sound funny, because how can your life talk to you? What this really means is that God has designed you to be who you are. As Ephesians 2:10 tells us: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has created us for a purpose and with work to do. Innately our body and mind know it. We just have to seek God so that we can discover it. We find it out when we delight ourselves in God, then in that relationship we begin to understand the ‘desires of our hearts’ and we can then begin to live them out!

The problem is that we don’t know how to listen to God or to ourself. We become like a willful teenager thinking that we know what is best; what is right. God has placed truths and values within us, and all the more teaches them to us through His word. As we understand these truths and values, and then put them into practice in our lives (this is another way we delight in the Lord), then we will discover the heart of our identity. Our limits also teach us about who we are. Instead of being upset that we don’t have a certain gift or talent, let that limit guide you into what you CAN do and who you CAN become. The truth is, you really won’t discover the truth about yourself without your successes, AND your mistakes. When we put this all together we will be led to our true self.

II. The True Self- (John 10:3-4; Psalm 37:5)

a. Vocation- So let me take a moment to focus on vocation, because

our vocation really does help shape who we are, and who we are becoming; not completely, but in an important way. May Sarton, in regards to the quest for vocation says it nicely: “Now I become myself. It’s taken time, many

years and places. I have been dissolved and shaken, worn

other people’s faces…” (“Now I Become Myself,” p. 156).

What a long time it can take to become the person we were meant to be. In fact, it is a process that takes a lifetime. In our lifetime we will find ourselves in many places, shaken, worn, wearing masks, then unveiling ourselves. In all this we seek to find the true self.

The whole “call” of vocation comes from an external voice; from God’s voice. Because of this, we struggle to understand our vocation until we learn how to listen to God’s voice. As Jesus said in John 10:3-4 referring to Himself as the shepherd who watches the gate: “The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Just as sheep learn the voice of their master, so we must learn how to distinguish God’s voice in our lives so that we can find our calling.

In this respect, we come to understand “vocation” not so much as a goal to be achieved, but as a gift to be received. Instead of thinking that our calling comes from a voice “out there,” rather, it comes from the voice from within, since when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord, God’s Spirit comes to live within us! We can then sense God’s calling to us from within, becoming who we were born to be.

As Rabbi Zusya once said: “In the coming world, they will not ask me: ‘Why were you not Moses?’ They will ask me: ‘Why were you not Zusya.’” In other words, I am not meant to be Moses, or Abraham, or David, or any other Bible character, but rather I am meant to be Chris; the Chris God created me to be.

b. Your own gifted form- A sculptor was once asked how he chose to

make the sculpture he made. He responded saying that the object already existed inside the mold, he just had to discover it. We are not born as raw material to be shaped, as much as we are born with our own gifted form ready to be discovered!

Ex. Have you ever noticed that from early on in life children have likes and dislikes that are unique to them? They have a definite personality that expresses itself quite young. They start to develop talent in certain areas from a young age. I remember how Tyler liked to draw (and was good at it) from a very young age. Tiffany has always been the one who has great quotes. They are unique and have their own gifts and talents already there within them. As parents, Tami and I need to help shape this gifted form that exists.

We arrive in this world with birthright gifts, but too often make decisions that lead us to abandon them, or betray our true self to gain the approval of others. We seek to be someone we are not meant to be because of peer pressure or influences from our world. We travel in the wrong direction to find success. All the while walking farther away from our true self.

Psalm 37:5 seeks to bring us back by telling us: “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him, and He will act.” Illus. I remember that as an early teenager, there was a gift in me that allowed me to “guide” others in their lives and through their problems. I would have friends consistently talking to me about what was going on in their lives….. Because I loved music I thought I was meant to be a music teacher, but ultimately, and thankfully, I listened to the Lord and sought to go into ministry instead!

It’s really the difference between asking: What ought I to do with my life? to asking: “What is my true self, and how does this fit with who God created me to be and do?” There is the general answer, “Love God with your whole self and love your neighbor as yourself.” But there is also the more specific unique answer for me, and for you.

III. The Human Possibility- (Psalm 37:7; Matthew 6:5)

a. The possibilities- The possibilities are there, they just need to be

discovered. It can’t be rushed. Psalm 37:7 gives us good advice: “Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way..” The problem with discovering who you are meant to be is that you probably want the answer yesterday. Instead of worrying about knowing the full picture, you might want to just enjoy who you are today, and be still before the Lord as you wait for Him to spell it out for you a day at a time.

We tend to look at others and think that they have it all together, and want what they have; what we think we don’t have. The truth is, we have more than we realize, and the possibility to become more; to become totally what God has in mind. But we usually have difficulty seeing our possibilities and living out our calling because we think that we do not have the time to “wait” on the Lord. So we rush ahead, and lose sight of where we are supposed to be heading; what we are supposed to be doing.

There is a Quaker concept call “way will open.” In faith we wait for the “way” to open to us. The challenge for the average person, is even if they seek for the “way” to open, they usually don’t have the patience to wait for the way to open. When “way” doesn’t open immediately, they get frustrated, or bored, or angry, or confrontive, because they want THE WAY TO OPEN!

In trying to find the “way” we need to be aware that many “ways” have closed behind us leading us to this next spot. So in reality, we are making our way toward the right way if we let it come to us and don’t force it. As I stated before, our limits also help to determine whether we are going the right way, or not.

For ex. When I was in college I began as a computer programming major. I did this not because I excelled at computers, but rather I thought that was a way to success and money. It didn’t take long to realize that I was limited in this area. So, I then chose music, and while I do have talent in music, in the end I was not led to be a teacher. Ultimately, I chose to go to seminary and the doors opened one after another for ministry positions!

b. Learning our limits- Each of us arrives in this world with a nature,

which means both limits and potentials. We can learn much about our nature by running into our limits as by experiencing our potentials. If we are not willing to learn from our limits, our limits will teach us anyway from embarrassment and/or by failure. In this way, our limits get our attention and teach us a lesson we need to learn.

Where we can really learn in this time is through thoughtful discernment. Whenever we are faced with our limit, or we experience some failure or setback, we need to go back and “be still before the Lord,” and seek the Lord for what He has us to learn. What lesson can be learned from this experience, and how does it teach us who we were meant to be?

Despite the “American Dream” philosophy, we cannot be or do WHATEVER we desire. There are some things we should not be because it is not who we created to be. To try and live out what we think is our American dream is in reality like forcing a square peg into a round hole. It is not meant to be a fit. When seeking a calling on your life, the best question you can ask is: “What would you like most about being in the calling? After we ponder that question, if your answer is something that sound selfish, or materialistic, or leans toward a power trip to feed your ego, then you definitely know it is not your calling, but comes from a different desire. EVEN IF YOUR PURSUIT IS NOBLE, but not in line with whom you were meant to be, you should not pursue that avenue!

Jesus said, in Matthew 6:5- “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” Even though prayer is a worthwhile and spiritually minded venture, it should be done to bring glory to God, not to ourselves. Likewise, we are to live out our lives doing what we are called to do for God’s glory, not our own!

Conclusion: Burnout is a big issue in our society. The truth is, burnout usually comes from someone who is trying to give what they do not possess. This can come from our being in a place or position that we are not called to, or from being spiritually empty when you try and give.

Since we are made in God’s image, we could all, in a sense answer as God did in telling Moses His name: “I Am who I Am.” To fully dwell with God means to be faithful to our nature. We can only understand this nature when we take the time to rest in God and listen to God’s voice and guidance. When we try and be something that we are not, we are really crossing God’s intention and plan for us. While we usually are not willful in this choice, all the same we go against God’s will!

The key is to live in a creative tension between our limits and our potentials. When we seek God in this, learning from the closed “way” and looking for what will open, we can indeed be in the process of becoming who we were meant to be. Amen.

"Standing With the Flock"

Micah 5:2-5a

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Introduction: We have talked so far this Advent season about hope, joy, and love. Today we finish our Advent themes with PEACE. People have many different ideas about peace. For some it is about being united with other people, living in peace. For others it is something like the Peace Corp, which travels overseas to make a difference in the peace in our world. Still for others there is this hope that world peace can be achieved.

We see that the topic of peace can lead us to many ideas: the absence of war, the desire to get along, and even the need for inner peace. This morning I want to focus on the latter, and talk about how through Christ we can have inner peace; peace within our own body and mind. The truth is, we cannot seek peace with others, or seek peace in our world, if we ourselves are not at peace with God, and in turn with our own being.

I. Situations of Peace-

a. Unrest- There are many things in life that keep us from being at peace: stress, conflict, fear, guilt, anger... Most people deal with all of these on a fairly regular basis.

1. Let’s start with stress. Stress is the "wear and tear" our bodies experience as we adjust to our continually changing environment; it has physical and emotional effects on us and can create positive or negative feelings. As a positive influence, stress can help compel us to action; it can result in a new awareness and an exciting new perspective. But stress is usually a negative force. As a negative influence, it can result in feelings of distrust, rejection, anger, and depression, which in turn can lead to health problems. Stress is caused by several factors; being over busy, feeling like you’re always behind, not completing everything you need to, as well as any kind of arousal of your emotions. We need to understand that stress is caused by external forces. We do not cause stress from within, stress is caused from outside of us.

2. Second, we have conflict. Conflict is a state of opposition, disagreement, or incompatibility between two or more people or groups of people. Conflict too can have positive or negative affects in our lives. The positive is that it can move us to the point of dealing with a situation and resolving an issue. However, we usually think of conflict in negative terms. That is because it is 2 parties being in opposition with each other, and it is usually not fun to be in opposition with another. So the unrest comes from either avoidance, not dealing with the issue, which keeps the conflict as an ongoing problem. Or it comes from engaging the one to whom we are in opposition, and seeking to work out the situation. I know for me that when I have to deal with a conflict, I run the conversation through my head before I ever actually talk to the other person. And the conversation I have is usually much different (in a negative way) than how the actual conversation goes.

3. Third, there is fear. The dictionary says that fear is: “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” So again we see here that fear, like stress and conflict is emotional, and is caused by an outside source. The danger is not manifested inside of us, but by external forces. Fear is also seen as the opposite of faith. So, when our faith is weak, or struggling, or not trusting God, we are more apt to experience fear.

Stress, conflict, and fear, are just 3 of the issues of life that can keep us from experiencing peace. As I mentioned before, guilt and anger are two others. As we allow these situations of life to move us away from the faith that God desires for us to have, we will struggle to find peace in our lives.

b. Feeling peaceful- And yet, there are definitely times in life when we experience being at peace, or situations that cause us to feel peaceful. For this, I would like your help….What are some experiences in life that cause you to be at peace?/ (Examples: sitting in a jacuzzi; sitting with my kids and watching a movie; reading a good book; sitting at the beach and watching a sunrise or sunset…)

If you think about it, these kinds of experiences cause us to feel at peace because they stir up in us positive emotions. We feel relaxed when we are sitting in a warm jacuzzi; we feel loved when we are with our kids and enjoying their presence; we feel close to God when we see the sunset; we are in another world, away from our troubles and worries when we are reading, when we are lost, in a good book.

EXAMPLE- Peace That Transcends All Earthly Turmoil

Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied him, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece. The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from far and wide. Finally the great day of revelation arrived. The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another, while the viewers clapped and cheered. Until there were only two pictures still covered. As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.

A mirror-smooth lake reflecting lacy, green birch trees, under the evening sky. Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed.

Surely, the people thought, this was the winner.

The man with the vision uncovered the last painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Could this painting represent peace? Let me describe it to you…

First you have a tumultuous waterfall cascading down a rocky precipice; and you can almost feel its cold, penetrating spray. Stormy-gray clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain. In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls. One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power./ AND YET, A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch. Content and undisturbed from the stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs. She manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. (Berit Kjos, A Wardrobe from the King, pp. 45-46.) THIS PAINTING WAS THE WINNER!

II. How to Have Inner Peace- (Micah 5:4-5; Ps. 18:2, 23:1; 1 Peter 5:7; Rom. 8:31)

This illustration reminds us that we can have peace in the midst of stormy surroundings; in the midst of stress, conflict, fear, guilt, anger, or whatever other outside forces may be raging against us. Let’s see how this is possible.

a. Rock and refuge- It is interesting how the quiet and darkness of night can cause us to feel some fear, some unrest. Lately part of Tiffany’s bedtime prayer is for God to keep away all burglars, earthquakes, and bad things from happening. I try to assure her that our house is tightly locked and is safe; plus Tami and I are in the next room. But this doesn’t always calm her fears. And yet, while I am there in her room with her, I know she feels safe and secure and has no fear. As Psalm 18:2 tells us: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.”

Remember that we said before, faith is the opposite of fear. When our faith is strong and we know God’s presence is with us, and we know that God is One in whom we can take refuge, then we will experience peace. In our Micah passage, we are told that the Messiah will come and stand and shepherd the flock and the people will live securely. IN THIS SECURITY THERE IS PEACE./ The shepherds job is to watch over the sheep. They are to make sure that the sheep have food to eat, and are regularly cleaned, and are protected from all enemies. The sheep don’t need to worry or fear because the shepherd takes care of all things.

I believe that is why Psalm 23 is such a favorite for so many people, because it talks about God being our shepherd; the One who watches over us. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Just like my kids feel secure when my presence is there in the room, so we are secure and live in peace when we believe that God is with us, and watching over us like a shepherd watches over his flock!

b. God is for me- In the book and movie series of The Lord of the Rings, you have a character named Gandalf. Gandalf is a wizard who has great power, and uses it for the good. At the end of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, there is a great battle between the main characters of good, and the Orcs (who are bad). This battle has gone on all through the night, and still they face thousands of ugly, mean, strong orcs. Their resources are dwindling, and they are tired. But just when it seems like things will end….up on the hill, in a bright shining white robe, Gandalf appears with reinforcements. However, it is not just the fact that there are reinforcements, but that Gandalf himself is leading the reinforcements. You know that good will prevail over bad because of Gandalf and the power he brings.

This is true for us and God. Many times in life it might seem like we are losing the battle. We are facing conflict after conflict, and we are tired and weak. But then we remember what Romans 8:31 says: “What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?”/ It doesn’t matter if we face conflicts in life, it doesn’t matter if we battle our anger, it doesn’t matter if our guilt is overpowering us: we can have peace because we have the power of Christ with us, and within us!

c. God cares- But most of all I think that we can experience peace, because God Himself, the creator of all things, including you and me, cares for us.

In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”/ God comes to us and tells us that we do not need to have anxiety, but we can give it away. God tells us to give it to Him. Why? Because He cares for us and knows that the stress that comes from feelings of anxiety are not healthy for us.

There is a wonderful, familiar poem called “Two Boxes.” It goes like this: I have in my hands two boxes, which God gave me to hold. He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black, And all your joys in the gold. I heeded His words, and in the two boxes. Both my joys and sorrows I stored. But though the gold became heavier each day, The black was as light as before. With curiosity, I opened the black; I wanted to find out why. And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole by which my sorrows had fallen out. I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud, "I wonder where my sorrows could be."He smiled a gentle smile at me. "My child, they're all here with me." I asked, "God, why give me the boxes, Why the gold, and the black with the hole?" "My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings, The black is for you to let go."

III. The peace of God- (Philippians 4:6-7)

God wants us to let go. And one of the best ways to let go, is to rest in God. So I want to take a couple of minutes, and lead you through an exercise of Godly meditation. I am going to play some music, and as the music is playing I’m going to talk for a moment to lead you into relaxing and giving yourself to God, and then let it be quiet for a minute or so, so that God can fill you with His peace. (Play medley from Kim Hoffman’s “Dreams of the Forgotten Christ Child.” [O Come Let Us Adore Him, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, His Name Is Wonderful] )

In Philippians 4:6-7 we read: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Conclusion: Christmas will be upon us in just six days. Our Christmas Eve service, I believe, is an opportunity to prepare us for what Christmas is truly about; celebrating the coming of Christ into the world. Receiving the hope, joy, love, and peace of Christmas. I hope that you can find the time to come this Friday, at 7 p.m.. And on Christmas day, before you get into the holiday celebration, and the opening of gifts, you might take a moment and remember that Christmas is about knowing that in Christ, we can be at peace with God, with ourselves, and with experiences we might encounter. Amen.

“The Give and Take of Love”
Luke 3:7-14
Sunday, December 12, 2010

Introduction: Peanuts comic strip: Marcie and Peppermint Patty call Charlie Brown. Peppermint Patty gets on the phone first and says: "Marcie and I are about to leave for camp, Chuck...We're going to be swimming instructors." Then Marcie gets on the line: "We just called to say goodbye, Charles. We're going to miss you..We love you.." In the background you can hear Peppermint Patty yell out: "MARCIE!!" In the last frame, Charlie Brown's sister, Sally, asks: "Who was that?" Charlie Brown lets out a sigh, and says: "I think it was a right number.."

LOVE. What a wonderful feeling it is. In fact, we were created to love and be loved. That is why the 2 great commands are: “LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength…And LOVE your neighbor as yourself.”
The Bible is full of passages about love. Let me read you just a few…..
Proverbs 3:3 says: “Let LOVE and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”
Isaiah 5:1- “I will sing for the one I LOVE; a song about His vineyard…”
And then how about a couple of very familiar ones; John 3:16 and 1 Corinthians 13:4-8……. John 3:16, “For God so LOVED the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a- “LOVE is patient, LOVE is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. LOVE does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE never fails.”
So if we were created to love and be loved, why do we struggle so much in this area?

I. Give and Take- (Philippians 2:3-4; Luke 3:8)

a. Take- When sin entered the world, it caused us to become selfish. And
in our selfishness, we seek to take more than we give. Life is full of examples of taking… EXAMPLE 1- In the movie “The Distinguished Gentleman,” starring Eddie Murphy, Murphy plays a Florida con man. When he discovers that a long time Congressman, who shares his name, passes away, he uses this name recognition to get himself elected to Congress. Once in Congress, he discovers that money flows from lobbyists. The temptation is to take all of this money that is being offered to him. And for a while he does this, until he realizes that nothing is getting accomplished.
This movie (and many of the news stories) gives us a glimpse of how the politicians who are supposed to represent the people, really are just looking out for themselves by taking what they think they deserve! Of course we saw this very profoundly in the city of Bell scandal!!
EXAMPLE 2- (Hurricane Katrina)- In 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast. It was a terrible event that rocked the worlds of thousands of people, especially in New Orleans and Mississippi. Over the years there has been much attempt to give to people in need. But unfortunately there are many who have chosen to use this tragedy to take for themselves; they have seen this as an opportunity to fraudulently take money for themselves. Here are just a few stories…
(Headline 1: Two booked on Katrina fraud charges)- A 55-year-old Metairie man and a 43-year-old Chalmette man were arrested…on insurance fraud charges related to Hurricane Katrina./ (Headline 2: 1300 Katrina fraud probes under way)- Years after the disaster, there are still about 1,300 ongoing investigations of alleged FEMA fraud in the southern district alone./ (Headline 3: FEMA still squandering millions in Katrina aid)- The story says, “The government is squandering tens of millions of dollars in Hurricane Katrina disaster aid, in some cases doling out housing payments to people living rent-free, investigators said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has recouped

less than 1 percent of the $1 billion that investigators contend it squandered on fraudulent assistance, according to the Government Accountability Office.”
Of course we know that taking in this way does not show love. Instead of seeking to be loving, many people focus only on themselves, and what they can get. But we are challenged by the apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
b. Give- How amazing is it to hear about this abuse? I know the
residents of the city of Bell were appalled when they heard about the ways the politicians were stealing their money and misappropriating funds. So often in life we mistakenly think that other people will care about our needs, and not just their own. Unfortunately, too often this is not true.
The city of Bell is a small city, where there are many people who have needs. They pay their taxes thinking that it will be used to help the city; used to help others. But then they find out that many are abusing what has been given, what has been entrusted to them. This story is not alone. There are so many stories through-out the world where people are taking from those who are in need. We give food to other countries, but it never makes it to those who need it; instead the military confiscates it and sells it for profit./ Our health care system is in disarray. One reason is because of the fraudulent claims that are made by people trying to gain money that is not owed to them….I could go on and on about story after story where people are taking instead of giving. Where is the love in this?
We are called to give of ourselves. We can search our hearts and minds and know that it is not right to take in these ways. We hear these stories, and we are bothered by them; angered by them. But even more, we have the word of God which reminds us of this call. As Luke 3:8 tell us- “Bear fruits that are worthy of repentance…” Here we have a social gospel where John the Baptist is demanding that people share with one another. It is a gospel that tells us that God will never be happy with the person who is content with having too much while others have too little. God wants the fruit that we bear to show that we ‘love our neighbors as ourself.’

II. What then shall we do?- (Acts 20:35; Luke 3:10-14)

a. Object lesson in giving- Before I get into the Bible lesson of the
morning, and what it says to us about giving, I want to demonstrate a point with a little object lesson. Christmas is a season about giving. We give gifts to each other. Hopefully you gave a gift to the church today through the “Love Offering.” If not, you still can do it next Sunday, or even on Christmas Eve. The giving of gifts is a way to share love. So I want to share a little love this morning… (Take stocking and give out gifts)./ How fun it is to share a gift with someone. As Jesus says to us in Acts 20:35- “… ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

b. What then?- It is interesting to see that as John the Baptist challenges
the people, instead of getting angry at John, they were humbled. You see their response in verse 10: “And the crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do.’” The people wanted to know what they could do to be more in line with God’s will. The people wanted to know how they could change. The people wanted to know how to love others better./ So John responds in verse 11: “… ‘Whoever has 2 coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.’”
I’ve shared with you before how every now and then I will go into my children’s bedrooms, see all the toys and stuff they have, and begin to work with them on getting rid of some of their excess. Sometimes they do this on their own now! And when we do this, we put it into 2 piles: the pile that will be thrown away, and the pile that will be given to someone else that can use it. We do the same with their clothes from time to time./ I believe that this is a good practice, because it helps us to realize the excess that we have, and helps us to remember the needs that others have.
The tax collectors then chime in with the same question: “What then shall we do?” Now you need to understand that the tax collectors were not honest people; they would often cheat people out of their money by taxing people more than what was necessary so that they would make a greater profit. This caused great resentment and hatred from the people. And so the tax collector’s would respond to this hatred by taxing them even more. So John turns to the tax collector’s and says to them: “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”
In other words, John was telling them that they were taking what was not theirs, and that they should only take what was allowed for them to take, and not overtax the people. John didn’t tell them to stop being tax collectors, but rather to be honest and forthright tax collectors. They could give a great service to the people by collecting ONLY the amount prescribed.
So then the soldiers decide to jump in and ask “What then shall we do?”/
It is believed that these soldiers were Jewish, and not Roman, and that they were aligned with the tax collectors to help them retrieve the taxes. These soldiers held a privileged position in society. If the soldiers used excessive force, the citizens could do nothing about it.
John’s response to them is… “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”/ We see that the soldiers took from the people in 2 ways: threats or false accusations. Either way, the soldiers had the authority, and the people couldn’t stop this extorting. So John tells them to not practice this sinful behavior. Above that, they are to be satisfied with what they are paid, because this ‘not being satisfied’ is what was causing them to take from the people.
What a different world it would be if the tax collectors and the soldiers sought to actually LOVE others!
c. What then for us?- This then leads us to ask the question: What then
for us? How are we to respond? So let’s take a moment to learn from the crowd, the tax collectors, and the soldiers.
1. The crowd- No matter what we have or don’t have, the truth
is, we all have excess. Maybe you have 2 coats, or an abundance of soup, or 3 television sets. Love leads us to realize that we do not need to have excess, and by sharing it with others, by giving it to others, we can help them to experience the love of God; experience the blessing of giving to others. So what you and I need to do over the next couple of weeks, is look in our closets, and on our shelves, and in our cupboards, and find those things we don’t need. Then set them aside and ask God to lead you to the place where you can give it away. Maybe you will hear a news story, or read something in the paper, or be talking to a friend and hear of a need. Or maybe you take it to “His Nesting Place’s” thrift store, or to the WomenShelter of Long Beach. But find something to give away.
2. The tax collector’s- As we think about the tax collectors, we
might think about the taxes we have to pay. It won’t be long until March and April come, and we have to pay our taxes. The questions we have to ask ourselves is: Are we declaring all that we make? Are we justifying ourselves against the IRS when we don’t pay all of our taxes? Is there any way that we are not being truthful?/ And for some of you, you may do a service for someone and need to collect the money. Are you charging them an honest price?/ Or those of you who own property and rent it out; is your rent at a reasonable rate? These are all questions we have to ask as we think about “bearing the fruit that is worthy of repentance.”
3. The soldiers- And last we come to the soldiers. The soldiers’
issue was that of power. The soldiers took things from others by abusing their power. When we are in a position of power, positions like supervisor, parent, teacher, leader, grandparent….we have the ability to use this position to give or to take. Authority and power are easily abused. Let us make sure that we are using our position to give and not to take; give a kind word, or give some encouragement, or give some advice, or even give a gift. If we let God help us to be satisfied with where He has placed us in life and position, then we will be more apt to be giving and not take.

Conclusion: This third Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of love. Love is seen in the action of giving, not in the actions of taking or being selfish. We are able to love when we know we are loved./ Do you know how much God loves you? Do you really understand God’s love? I think the honest answer for us would have to be no. There is no real way to understand the depth of God’s love. This was why the apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3:17-18, “…. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.”
What is Christmas all about? It is about understanding the love of God, and finding ways to reach beyond ourselves and love those around us. Not just those we like; not just those we feel comfortable with; but sharing love whenever and wherever we have the chance./ May the LOVE of God touch you today, and change your world,
so that you can change the world around you; so that you can “bear the fruit that is worthy of repentance”! Let us do this today and every day. Amen.