A Father's Day Message

This Sunday's (June 17, 2018) lessons for the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost were: Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:6-17; and 4:26-34. This continues a sermon series on 2nd Corinthians, but wanders into current events.

I am trying PodBean as a source to archive sermon recordings, and so today's messages can be listened to or downloaded below, or through PodBean.
Audio Recordings are here:
 







We also remember that three years ago today, nine people were murdered during a Bible study at Mother Emmanuel in Charleston. And we remember that things have not gotten any better. Lord, have mercy.



Please join me in prayer. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night. Amen.

I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, to those who are father figures, and for those who wish to be fathers.

Grace, peace and mercy to you, from God, our Creator, and Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior.  AMEN.

The last two lines of today’s reading from Paul’s letter, from chapter 5 of 2^nd Corinthians, is a summary of Paul’s Christological theology. In those last two lines, verses 16 & 17, we get a distillation of the Pauline perception of what Christ has done for us, and what that means for us. 

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, new creation!! The old passed away. Behold! Everything is forever created anew![1]

The way to read that passage is to omit the there is a in there is a new creation, because it isn’t there. Paul wants the church in Corinth to stop looking at things in a human, earthly perspective, and to understand that because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, NEW CREATION. Because God isn’t counting our sins, because we will be eternally with the Creator, Savior and Comforter, everything is already NEW CREATION! The old has passed away. Everything is forever new. Paul uses the perfect tense of the verb create in the last line. Everything has been, is and will be created new, because we are in Christ, and Christ is in us. We are constantly and continually being made new, reconciled to God.

Because of Christ, everything is already changed. While we may have to wait for His return for death to be defeated, and for the forgiveness of our sins to be realized, everything is already changed. The kingdom has come, God’s will is to be done. The reign of God is here, and we need to act in response to that. 

Paul wanted the Corinthians to look at what NEW CREATION means. He wanted them to look not at the ways of the world, but at the ways of God. He wanted them to look not at how the world calls us live, but to look at how God calls us to live.

And I ask the same of you, here and now. Because he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.[2] Because Christ’s death and resurrection is and was for all, God’s grace and love are for all, and therefore our love in response to God’s love is and should be for all. 

So, on this Father’s day, I ask you to speak up and speak out about the mistreatment of children.

Since April, it has been the policy of this president and this administration to separate minor children from their parents during immigration interrogations, before the determination if any charges are going to be filed, and to place those children in caged detention centers. In response to the misdemeanor charge of crossing the US border without prior approval, children are separated from their parents while the determination of whether charges will be filed is being made. There is no law demanding this, but a policy decision made by this president is separating almost 50 children per day from their parents. Parents who wanted to bring their children to this country, for an opportunity or for safety.

Some of you may think that they broke the law and deserved to be punished.  I would point out they have not been charged, but detained on suspicion. If that is the type of law enforcement you want for misdemeanor charges, I would advise you to watch your speed and be sure to signal as you drive home.

You may think I am bringing politics into the church. I am using a current event to illustrate a way to live out Christ’s command that is summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.[3] That quote was written by the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, in chapter 13, which the attorney general cited as justification for this horrific policy. 

I speak out against this terrible policy of this president, and stand along with the ELCA, the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Church, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Presbyterian Church, Franklin Graham, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Islamic Society of North America, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, the American Baptist Churches, and the Southern Baptist Church to call on this president and administration to end this policy where it comes to separating children from their families in immigration disputes to be ended.

On this Father’s Day weekend, where we celebrate families coming together, can we agree to stand against a policy where our government is tearing families apart? I ask you to contact your elected Federal officials to share your views.

In this part of his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote: For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.[4]

I ask you to search your heart, on this Father’s Day, and ask you how to live out the NEW CREATION that is the love of God, and what recompense there is for your action or inaction?

I close by reminding you of the words of Christ, as recorded in the 25^th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, when Jesus was using a parable to describe what will happen when the Son of Man returns in all his glory, one of the things we will be accountable for is that just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.[5]

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[1] 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (RC translation)

[2] 2Corinthians 5:15

[3] Romans 13:9-10

[4] 2Corinthians 5:10

[5] Matthew 25:40

I also include Stephen Colbert's take on this issue, and the attorney general's use of Romans 13.