Sunday, August 23, 2020
- INTRODUCTION.
- As I said in the E-News, I would prefer to have face-to-face conversations with all of the members and friends of Beargrass.
- But that is not feasible, so if you haven’t seen the video, read the E-News, or “heard through the grapevine,” here we go.
- Ellen and I have been reflecting about my retirement date.
- We think it is in the best interest of our family for me to wrap things up at Beargrass and retire on October 31.
- COVID has been a big factor because it has dramatically reduced our “visitation” privileges with our triplet grandsons.
- It does not seem that COVID is going away any time soon—unfortunately, Louisville was recognized as a “red zone” by the CDC last week.
- So, if I continue to work in November and December it will jeopardize our family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- But we already have plans in place for the transition.
- The Search Team is making excellent progress—pray for them!
- Rev. Bruce Barkhauer will take the lead on the stewardship emphasis and messages in November.
- My very committed and creative colleagues and our staff are eager to cover the Advent/Christmas season.
- Our church is full of fantastic folks who will step up and help.
- We have had a wonderful experience at Beargrass and we are deeply grateful for your many years of love and support.
- We appreciate your prayers—and we will be praying for you as you begin an exciting new chapter in the life of the church!
- And now that a date has been set, I have spent more time reflecting on my changing roles and identity during my ministry.
- I am a PK, so the church has always been a part of my life.
- But my “formal” ministry began 40 years ago this month.
- I started my studies at Brite Divinity School at TCU in 1980.
- I met Ellen the first week of school—that’s another story!
- That same week I was called to serve as a youth minister at Rockwood Christian Church on the north side of Fort Worth.
- My stay there was short because I was invited to become a student associate minister at Central Christian Church.
- That is where Ellen and I were married on December 27, 1981.
- Seminary graduation in 1984 opened the door for a new call to youth ministry at First Christian Church in Arlington, Texas, where I had a wonderful mentor in Dr. Arthur Digby.
- Then came Lakewood Christian Church in Waco, Texas.
- They took a chance and asked me to serve as their senior pastor.
- There are more Baptists than people in Waco, but in 10 years we rejoiced as we watched the church more than double in size.
- Then, out of the blue, a church we had never heard of came a callin’ from Louisville, Kentucky, in the fall of 1996.
- After numerous conversations and communications, the call to come was given and we were thrilled to make the move!
- We limped into Louisville in that old blue Suburban we used to have in January of 1997.
- And by the grace of God we are profoundly grateful to still be here 24 years later!
- Along with changing ministerial roles came changing family roles.
- I started out as a son almost 65 years ago.
- After a couple of years, I became a brother.
- Years later I became a husband, father, brother-in-law, uncle, father-in-law—and now, a grandpa who is affectionately known as “Grumps.”
- And yet, despite all of those changing roles and responsibilities, there has been a constant, consistent identity through all of it.
- As long as I can remember, I have been loved, a child of God.
- THAT BRINGS US TO TODAY’S STORY.
- In Matthew 16, Jesus takes a brief public opinion poll.
- Jesus and the disciples are in the region of Caesarea Philippi.
- They know that he has become the talk of the towns.
- So, they are ready when he asks: “Who do people say that I am?”
- “Some say you are John the Baptist or Elijah.”
- “Others say you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
- It sounds like an episode from Family Feud—you can imagine the disciples shouting, “Good answer! Good answer!”
- But his friends had been missing some other perspectives.
- Their answers are good answers—but they are “old” answers.
- In those days people had a keen interest in identities.
- The crowds had been watching Jesus for some time, but he is still an enigma because he does not fit any mold—surprise!
- A person’s demographics involved a “3 G” analysis—gender, genealogy, and geography—so Jesus is an outlier.
- God is doing a “new thing” in Jesus!
- Consider the information about him in Matthew up to this point.
- Jesus is born in a strange way and with questionable parentage.
- He is poor, but he threatens kings and attracts foreign diplomats.
- Rather than take on the family business, as expected, he becomes a wandering teacher with a motley crew of friends.
- Instead of getting married—also expected—he stays single.
- He has no income, but parties often and feeds thousands.
- He performs incredible miracles, but never abuses his power.
- He is a student of Moses but says that does not go far enough.
- He appears to be righteous but hangs out with the down and out.
- He talks about eternal life but seems obsessed with death.
- No wonder the people are so confused and confounded!
- Then he catches his friends off guard with an unexpected question.
- “Hey guys, what about you? Who do YOU say that I am?”
- This is another pivotal moment for Jesus and his disciples.
- Jesus cuts to the chase and gets to the heart of the matter.
- The question is even more dramatic when we consider the setting.
- Caesarea Philippi is about 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee.
- The area is loaded with religious options, history, and baggage.
- It is the place of the temples of ancient Ba’al worship.
- It is thought to be Pan’s birthplace, the Greek God of nature.
- It is the location of the springs of the River Jordan.
- Caesarea Philippi is teeming with tales of ancient Judaism.
- And it is the site of the temple to honor the godhead Caesar.
- Against this backdrop, Jesus poses this critical question.
- He is not only asking, “Who do YOU say that I am?”
- He wonders, “My friends, you have all kinds of options.”
- “Look at the diversions, distractions, and deities around you.”
- “With all of these choices, who will you choose?”
- For once, Peter nails it and proclaims: “You are the Messiah!”
- He examines the evidence and feels that Jesus is the real deal.
- Jesus says: “Peter, you totally get it! God has blessed you!”
- “You are Petros/Peter and on this petra/rock I will build the Church!”
- Jesus pronounces the birth of the Church with a pun!
- So, for all of you who have been giving me a hard time for my puns for 24 years, if it was good enough for Jesus…(I’m just saying….)
- Anyway, Peter’s identity changes; he knows Jesus’ true identity.
- THE QUESTION IS ASKED OF US TODAY.
- Who do we say that Jesus is?
- What do we think about his identity?
- Is there any connection between our identities and his identity?
- In our culture and society, we have more options than ever.
- A multitude of other gods are trying to get our attention.
- And if we are using tech-toys, people are paying attention—and know who we are.
- It has been said that we are what we download.
- Techies can view our apps and figure out our age, gender, income, and marital status—with up to 80% accuracy.
- For example, Pinterest users are almost always women.
- If you are an avid Uber user, you are probably single.
- If you’re a Yelp user you probably make over $50,000 a year.
- There is a reason those pop-up ads are so creepily accurate.
- My wife, Ellen, complains about that almost every week and sometimes even whispers so that Alexa and Siri won’t hear!
- So where does Jesus rank on our lists—and how does our understanding of who he is affect the way we live?
- How does our understanding of the “rock” shape our role?
- Are we easily identified because of our association with Jesus?
- Are we working on his behalf, imitating him in all that we do?
- Following Jesus may be a personal matter, but it is never private.
- When we are associated with him, it is an identity that sticks.
- Anyone we meet should be able to tell from our words, actions, compassion, and way of living that we belong to him.
- An author wonders about our use of the name “Jesus.”
- “What do people mean when they use the name ‘Jesus?’”
- “Are they talking about a tamed Jesus who waves flags and promotes whatever values they think their group needs?”
- “Are they referring to their economic or military system through which they sanctify their greed and lust for power?”
- “Or are they referring to the very Source of Life who has walked among us and continues to sustain everything with his love?”
- One of our children, Brandon, sent a picture of a WWJD bumper sticker last week.
- The initials have become a cliché—What would Jesus do?”
- But in small print on the bumper sticker there was a different message under WWJD.
- The phrase was: “Who would Jesus deport?”
- Our family chain blew up: “How could anyone say that? Can you believe they used Jesus’ name in that way?!”
- And I almost commented…but then it occurred to me that the driver of that car may know Jesus better than we first thought?
- I had just preached about the Canaanite woman last week.
- Who would Jesus deport? …Nobody…nobody….
- A blogger commented on the racism and craziness in our country.
- She made it clear that our identity will impact the way we react.
- She said: “If we are following Jesus literally—then nobody’s humanity is up for grabs—nobody—that is non-negotiable.”
- She said: “So I’m hopeful…and I hope to lead that charge.”
- I also appreciated the perspective from a pastor’s editorial.
- In the wake of recent events and with the upcoming election, he reminded us about our identity—here are a few highlights.
- “I join my voice with Republicans and Democrats and Independents who lament where our nation finds itself today.”
- “From the perspective of our faith we are not Americans first.”
- “God is bigger than our nationalism or religious affiliation.”
- “God sent Jesus to make us human—we are humans first.”
- “God calls us to be human in the image and likeness of Jesus.”
- Friends, today Jesus asks us once again…
- “Who do you say that I am?”
- And he wonders once again…
- “Who do you think you are?”
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