hard truths

from my sermon on August 15 from Luke 1249-56

I am a nice person. Most pastors are. We tend to drive hybrids not hot rods. We return our library books on time. We pay taxes. We take our recycables to the curb. We sit on boards of agencies. We are nice.

We like to be liked. On the MMPI, we score in the high 90% in the categories of nurturing and taking care of others. So how do we deal with a passage like this one?

I read an article this past week on clergy burnout. Care to guess what the reason for burnout was? I would think overfunctioning, for we try to do too much. Or, lack of self-care; we clergy are terrible at this. No, according to the author, a UCC pastor, the number one reason for clergy burnout was giving into the temptation to forsake one's highest calling of preaching the gospel and giving into congregational pressure simply to soothe them.

I have a pastor friend who is new in his church. He recently included the Apostles' Creed in the liturgy....and got chewed. "We don't believe in those old words....they don't apply." I have pastor friends in congregations that want to take down the cross from the sanctuary. "It is offensive....it turns people away."

The pastor who wrote the burnout article comes from a denomination where congregations write up a profile of what they are looking for in a pastor for their local church. The number one criterion mentioned was the ability to give humorous sermons. Lucky for me, I am a funny guy! The church seems to want an entertainment director, not a change agent.

So what are we to do with this passage? It is hard. Let's see a show of hands. How many of you have committed these verses to memory? "I came to bring fire to the earth." Put them on your refrigerator door or bathroom mirror? "Peace, no division." Can you see a whole line of greeting cards with these verses as a theme? "Three against two in the family."

It is the kind of passage that helps me believe that the Bible is authentic in its witness to Jesus. Who would make up this stuff? Who would include it in our holy book? If I were in charge, this passage is exactly the kind that I would leave out. The prosperity gospel portrayers certainly don't preach on these passages. No power of positive thinking here, no health and wealth promises.

How are to deal with this passage? I know we have guests in our midst today. I know we have people who are hurting. All I kind say is that these words are hard, but they are true. Stay with me just a few minutes as we go through the passage.

The word order in the Greek text is important. The first word is fire. Jesus literally says, "Fire I came to throw on the earth." If you follow this Jesus you will encounter fire. It will feel like the fire of judgment. In its best sense, it will be the fire of purification. Jesus will love you so much that he will not let you keep on going to hell. Here is another fire image. Whatever you have been running from, hiding, medicating, denying....Jesus will burn away. You may even get "on fire" for Him and His ways. You may find a passion for Him and His work.

There is a baptism, but it is not of water, or sentimentality. Remember that Luke has this long travel section in his gospel as Jesus goes from Galilee to Jerusalem. What happens in Jerusalem? Jesus suffers, and dies, and is raised from the dead. Jesus wants us to be immersed in his life, and death, and resurrection. Our good news has a cross right in the middle of it.

Peace, no division. Every yes for Jesus means a no to someone or something else. My own call story involves going to worship and Sunday school and choir growing up. Even when I went to Texas A & M, I went to the Wesley Foundation, the Methodist Student Ministry. There my campus minister invited me to consider ordained ministry, which had been nibbling at me for a long time. I will never forget the Christmas break of my sophomore year. Can you see mom and dad in their lazyboy recliners on that side of the living room? Can you see me standing on this side? I say, "I think I am called to be a United Methodist pastor." They say, "What! What a waste of an education! Can't you just be a good member of the church and serve in that way?" It hurt a lot. I said, "But I thought you wanted me to be religious?" "Yes, but not that religious," they replied.

If you are a hero child, super-responsible, always taking care of others, just see what happens if you step out of that role. If you say to the other family members, "I am tired of rescuring everyone and every situation. You all need to grow up and step up. I will no longer bail you out." See if some conflict develops. When you say yes to Jesus, you say no to something or someone else.

Start going to a 12 step group to deal with your addiction and see what happens in your family. You may get well, but I can nearly promise you conflict. When you say yes to Jesus, you say no to something or someone else.

The last part involves a weather report. What body of water lies to the west of Israel? The Mediterrean, so if a cloud arises in the west, you know it's going to rain. What lies to the south of the country? The desert, so if a wind comes from there, you know it's going to be hot like Texas in August. Jesus says you know about weather signs, how about stuff that really matters? The word "interpret" is best translated as "to regard something as appropriate or worthwhile." Jesus says, "To what do you pay attention as worthwhile?"

I know that the U of Texas is about to start its football season. Some of you have said to me, "I never miss a football game." Well that's fine, but by God, I wish you would say to me, "I want never to miss a worship service." You take good care of your cars and follow the maintenance guide. Well and good, but how about the maintenance of your soul? What is worthwhile in your life?

In the Uniting Church of Australia, we went to worship on Sunday night when the youth led it. Our friends' son George played electric guitar. They had a bass, drums, keyboard, and vocals. I was impressed with the service. It was not just about "Me and Jesus". It was about going with Him into His world to make a difference. One song that we sang has stayed with me. "We Must Go." The lyrics include:

We must go live to feed the hungry
Stand beside the broken
We must go
Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us inot action
We must go

It is not about entertainment. It is about worship that leads us to get involved in God's messy, saving work. Around here, we say, it is about "Following One, Serving All."

These words are hard, but true. The good news is that nothing else will satisfy except these hard truths.