Readings: Psalm 76, Numbers 12:1-7, Matthew 25:14-30, 1 Corinthians 4: 1-5
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, October 21st 2012
A printable PDF file can be found here
My dog Harpo can not do many tricks. But if you say “Gimme 5!” he’ll lift up his paw and give you 5. As we head through Stewardship season, I am not going to be doing any tricks, but I do want to “Give you 5”- Five pointers as to how to be faithful in the matter of stewardship before God.
As I do so I want to hang my thoughts on a text that appears in 1 Corinthians 4:2; "It is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy"
The position of steward in biblical days was an honored position. It was a term used for the house manager, a position of trust and responsibility. Stewardship is a lot more than bringing offerings on a Sunday. It's about putting God first in every area of our lives.
God entrusts us with a great deal. We have to be careful how we handle it. As Christian people, we don’t have a choice as whether or not we are stewards. The choice we have is whether we will be good stewards. Good stewardship is an expression of true thankfulness to God. How best do we faithfully respond to the blessings God has surrounded our lives with?
1. We can be faithful with our time
To begin the day with an attitude of trust and faith is to give God the first hour. By saying the "First Hour', I don't mean the first actual hour we are awake or even a literal hour. I mean that every day we live we should make a conscious choice to spend some of that time exclusively with our God. To make number one in our priorities, number one amongst the things we have to do in a day, time for God.
We do that for each other. If we don't make time for each other, communication breaks down and relationships become strained. Why should our relationship with God function differently? Some people find a first thing in the morning quiet time is the way to give God the best of the day. Others prefer talking things over with God at the end of the day. Some find time on their drive to work or commuting on the train. We can be flexible because no two days ever turn out to be the same. But our faith needs nurturing daily if it is going to be of any use. Otherwise we lose our way.
2. We can be faithful in our worship
To properly worship God on a Sunday people need each other. What's the point of maintaining a church and a minister and a staff and all the rest, if on the one hour in the week we can be together, we decide to be somewhere else? We need to be worshiping and praying and sharing fellowship together.
The fourth Commandment is plain enough. "Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it Holy". I know that sometimes life's commitments, work and family and all of that make it impossible for every member to be in church every Sunday. The best advice I heard was "Be there when you can, be elsewhere when you must". To be a faithful and grateful steward means taking God up on God's invitation and, whenever we can, give God the first day of the week for worship and for re-creation.
3. We can be faithful in our giving.
God doesn't need our money. All our tithes and offerings can not enrich one iota the God who is King and Lord and Creator of all things. God has all the wealth of all Creation at God's disposal. What can our two penny worth add to that? So why do we have a time in our service of worship to bring to God our tithes and offerings?
Because our gifts are an expression of our thankfulness. The gifts we bring do not add to the glory of God. The service of giving helps us to be more complete as people. "To give" is to remind ourselves that life is not just about us. It reminds us that we can only fully be ourselves when we are in community with others.
We give because Christ gave His life for us. He is the example. He is the pattern. His love is the motivation for giving God the first portion of our paycheck. "Let giving be cheerful" instructs the scriptures. Give graciously. Give generously. Give thankfully. Give because there is a need to be met and you can meet it. Give because that is the pattern of life Christ lays before you and calls you to follow. Give, simply because you are glad to be alive!
When the offering plate comes round, or as you consider making a pledge, do it in such a way as to demonstrate that your relationship with God really means something and truly matters. That you are grateful for your God, your church and your life. If you give your loved one a gift you don't hold back. A willingness to dip into your wallet is an indication of your love for God.
4. We can be faithful in our service.
I was once sitting playing guitar at a youth retreat when one of the participants, a gifted auto mechanic, came up to me and said, “I wish I could play guitar, I envy you". I said, "Boy, if you've ever seen me struggling on a cold morning when my car won't start, looking under the hood and pretending like I knew something about all the stuff in there, I'd tell you which one of us should be envied. "But it's just an engine" he said. "Right," I said, "And this is just a guitar."
Some of us have talents in one sphere. To others our gifting is in a different area. We all have things we can do that we can offer to God. Simple things and not so simple things. What's most needed is a willing spirit. The ability to never say, "Someone should do something about that" and the spirit that says, "How can I help do something about this".
Use the gifts you've been given, or you lose them. It's how you use your gifting that matters.
The fifth finger of this ‘Gimme 5” of stewardship is the most important. It is the one on which our time and tithes and talents must be focused and from where they should flow.
5. We can be faithful in our loving
The first great commandment is to love God with all our hearts, all our soul and all our mind. The second is to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. The way we are called to face challenges, whether they be stewardship challenges in the life of our church, or personal things that affect our lives, is much the same.
We've got to have an active faith. To love God implies that we trust God. Faith and love go together. We should throw hope in there to, as Paul says in that great passage about love in 1 Corinthians 13, "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
The greatest incentive behind any stewardship campaign has to be the same thing. Love. Love for the things of God. Love for the people of God, particularly those who make up this little piece of God's Kingdom we call First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin.
Love for this building and what it stands for within this community. Love for the many programs that take place here amongst the people, young and old, and beyond these walls in the larger community. Love for the gospel and the one who gave us the Good News, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Love for the action of the Holy Spirit who renews and changes and saves.
So here’s my big 5 of thankful, faithful stewardship!
1. We can be faithful with our time.
2. We can be faithful in our worship.
3. We can be faithful in our giving.
4. We can be faithful in our serving.
5. We can be faithful in our loving.
Be a people who pray.
Exercise faith in your giving and serving.
Decide in what tangible ways you are going to face up to the challenge of being faithful stewards. And do it all with, through and from thanksgiving!
Stewardship, it's not just about money. It's about everything that God has given us and how we relate to God in all areas of our lives. "Seek ye first" said Jesus "The Kingdom of God". Do that and Jesus promises everything else in our lives will fall into place!
Rev Adrian Pratt
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY “Scratching with Job”
Readings; Psalm 26, Hebrews 1:1-4, 2:5-12, Mark 10:2-16, Job 1:1, 2:1-10.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, October 7th 2012
A downloadable PDF file can be found here
Today is both World Communion Sunday and the Sunday we receive our Peacemaking offering. Our reading this morning was from the Book of Job. As we come to the table I'd like to invite you to do a bit of scratching with Job and share some thoughts around verses 7 and 8 of Job chapter 2; “So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.” (Job 2:7-8).
The Book of Job is arguably the greatest of all the dramatic writings of the Old Testament. It places this one good man, Job, at the center of a cosmic conflict between the forces of evil and the forces of good, and leaves us guessing how things are going to turn out. It wrestles with the question of undeserved suffering and demolishes the traditional arguments as to why and how things happen, till at the end of it all, Job's only comfort is in the fact that although he is none the wiser, at least he has encountered God.
The dilemma of Job is the dilemma of the Cross. As all around the world people receive bread and wine and focus upon the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we, like Job, are surrounded by differing views and arguments and dilemmas. Ultimately we may also come to the position that, when all is said and done, when it comes to these huge questions of good and evil and fate and chance and why good sometimes seems to lose out to evil, all we can do is sit in the shadow of the Cross and accept that in the midst of many unanswered questions, at least, here is a meeting place with God.
Job was hurting. He was sore. He needed to scratch for a while. Maybe this morning some of us are feeling that way. Too much going on that we can't make sense of. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do some people get away with the most atrocious acts whilst others suffer unjustly? Why can't we all just get along? Job was never given an explanation. Neither would I be so presumptuous as to suggest I can explain such dilemmas. But I can invite you to scratch for a while. I can point you to the mystery of our worldwide faith that is represented in bread and wine and symbolized by the Cross that overhangs our communion table.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Offering this year draws our attention to a number of differing facets of life that truly need the healing touch of God. Bulletin inserts have highlighted a number of concerns. One insert spoke about human trafficking. It would be wonderful to think that slavery ended with the civil war, but according to the US department of State some 12.3 million people, including children, are involved in some form of forced labor. Thankfully there are congregations that campaign and offer support through rescuing people from such desperate circumstances.
Another focus of this years offering has been to highlight bullying, particularly amongst young people. Bullying is not confined to school, but spreads throughout everything from social media to the workplace. Sadly we have witnessed how the trauma of being a victim can lead to lifelong problems and even suicide. Thankfully there are congregations that are working to establish mentoring programs within schools and establish youth activities that can be safe places for youth to meet together.
Our denomination has worked for many years producing resources to educate people about gun violence and the need for laws to combat the rising tide of senseless acts by people who seek to do nothing but harm. The tide of violence in our society surely causes us to scratch for a while and ponder that there has to a better way. One of the questions being explored in this years peacemaking theme is “How we discern a nonviolent path in the midst of a violent world?” We can add in there such questions as 'How, in a world where we are so deeply divided, can we engage in respectful dialogue?”, “How, can we not only refrain from doing violence to each other, but also respect the good earth God has entrusted to our care?”
Such are some of the dilemmas that our peacemaking offering invites us to wrestle with. Maybe we are struggling with more personal dilemmas. The loss of loved ones. Times of illness and recovery. Concern for family. Financial concerns. Wondering how we are going to get around a certain situation or deal with a particularly vexing problem or person. All of these rob our personal peace and leave us scratching. We 'sort of know' that we are never going to get an answer as to 'why'... and to be honest that's not our burning concern... right now... we just need the strength to get through!
This is where communion can help us. The word 'communion' is closely related to the word 'community'. Being part of a community of faith can really make a difference to our lives. It's good to not only offer support to others, but to know support when we are going through hard times. It makes a difference.
When we realize that the community of faith isn't just about our community, but, as we express this morning, we are part of a worldwide community, then our horizons are expanded and we catch some little glimmers of hope. There are things, like the Peacemaking Offering, that we can do together, that we could never do all by ourselves.
Communion is designed to draw us in. We do this because Jesus invites us to remember Him in this way. As we remember Him this way we cannot help from considering the life He lived, the things He embodied, and the lessons He taught us. When we take bread and wine in the shadow of His Cross we are drawn to consider how He died and what His death may mean for our lives. We are drawn also to consider that our Cross is an empty Cross. That His death was not an end in itself but a new beginning. The mystery of His Resurrection and Ascension confront us here.
If God was in Christ redeeming the world, then how do we become part of the solution rather than part of the problem? Jesus promised that He would send His Holy Spirit to be the great counselor, enabler and comforter. It is around this table, laid with bread and wine, that we are encouraged to come and nurture our lives on God's living love.
It is around this table that we invited to stop scratching and reflect on the promises of God. 'I will never leave you or forsake you' promised Jesus to His disciples. God is not giving up on us, God is not giving up on our world, God is not through with the business of redemption or the work of healing or the task of peacemaking.
Job was man of integrity. He was nearly overwhelmed by the circumstances that befell his life. Somehow God got him through. And somehow God will get us though just as long as we can keep our focus on what God can do.
Communion. Not just with each other, but with God. Lives nurtured by God. Lives that find their sustenance in doing God's will and their refreshment in soaking up and sharing God's love. That's what we are invited to around this table. And it is an invitation that goes out to all the world.
We began our service today in different languages declaring, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”
Here is hope. Here is an opportunity to renew our lives before God as we remember that God wants to be involved in our struggles, in our heartaches, in our dilemmas. Here is God saying, “I've been there before and I will be there for you. No matter what life does to you, remember I transform places of desolation into times of celebration, places of crucifixion into moments of resurrection.”
This is a time for gratitude. This world may well be a place of dilemmas and contradictions, but we are not powerless. Thank God. We have life. We have a voice. We have each other. God has placed at our disposal many wonderful resources and opportunities to change things for the better. The little things we can do are actually the big things in the Kingdom. Mustard seed faith moves mountains.
Let us join with others around the world to recommit our lives to the Prince of peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. As we share these elements of bread and wine, may they nurture us for the journey that lies ahead of us. And to God's name be all glory, honor and praise. Amen.
Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY, October 7th 2012
A downloadable PDF file can be found here
Today is both World Communion Sunday and the Sunday we receive our Peacemaking offering. Our reading this morning was from the Book of Job. As we come to the table I'd like to invite you to do a bit of scratching with Job and share some thoughts around verses 7 and 8 of Job chapter 2; “So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Job took a potsherd with which to scrape himself, and sat among the ashes.” (Job 2:7-8).
The Book of Job is arguably the greatest of all the dramatic writings of the Old Testament. It places this one good man, Job, at the center of a cosmic conflict between the forces of evil and the forces of good, and leaves us guessing how things are going to turn out. It wrestles with the question of undeserved suffering and demolishes the traditional arguments as to why and how things happen, till at the end of it all, Job's only comfort is in the fact that although he is none the wiser, at least he has encountered God.
The dilemma of Job is the dilemma of the Cross. As all around the world people receive bread and wine and focus upon the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we, like Job, are surrounded by differing views and arguments and dilemmas. Ultimately we may also come to the position that, when all is said and done, when it comes to these huge questions of good and evil and fate and chance and why good sometimes seems to lose out to evil, all we can do is sit in the shadow of the Cross and accept that in the midst of many unanswered questions, at least, here is a meeting place with God.
Job was hurting. He was sore. He needed to scratch for a while. Maybe this morning some of us are feeling that way. Too much going on that we can't make sense of. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do some people get away with the most atrocious acts whilst others suffer unjustly? Why can't we all just get along? Job was never given an explanation. Neither would I be so presumptuous as to suggest I can explain such dilemmas. But I can invite you to scratch for a while. I can point you to the mystery of our worldwide faith that is represented in bread and wine and symbolized by the Cross that overhangs our communion table.
The Presbyterian Peacemaking Offering this year draws our attention to a number of differing facets of life that truly need the healing touch of God. Bulletin inserts have highlighted a number of concerns. One insert spoke about human trafficking. It would be wonderful to think that slavery ended with the civil war, but according to the US department of State some 12.3 million people, including children, are involved in some form of forced labor. Thankfully there are congregations that campaign and offer support through rescuing people from such desperate circumstances.
Another focus of this years offering has been to highlight bullying, particularly amongst young people. Bullying is not confined to school, but spreads throughout everything from social media to the workplace. Sadly we have witnessed how the trauma of being a victim can lead to lifelong problems and even suicide. Thankfully there are congregations that are working to establish mentoring programs within schools and establish youth activities that can be safe places for youth to meet together.
Our denomination has worked for many years producing resources to educate people about gun violence and the need for laws to combat the rising tide of senseless acts by people who seek to do nothing but harm. The tide of violence in our society surely causes us to scratch for a while and ponder that there has to a better way. One of the questions being explored in this years peacemaking theme is “How we discern a nonviolent path in the midst of a violent world?” We can add in there such questions as 'How, in a world where we are so deeply divided, can we engage in respectful dialogue?”, “How, can we not only refrain from doing violence to each other, but also respect the good earth God has entrusted to our care?”
Such are some of the dilemmas that our peacemaking offering invites us to wrestle with. Maybe we are struggling with more personal dilemmas. The loss of loved ones. Times of illness and recovery. Concern for family. Financial concerns. Wondering how we are going to get around a certain situation or deal with a particularly vexing problem or person. All of these rob our personal peace and leave us scratching. We 'sort of know' that we are never going to get an answer as to 'why'... and to be honest that's not our burning concern... right now... we just need the strength to get through!
This is where communion can help us. The word 'communion' is closely related to the word 'community'. Being part of a community of faith can really make a difference to our lives. It's good to not only offer support to others, but to know support when we are going through hard times. It makes a difference.
When we realize that the community of faith isn't just about our community, but, as we express this morning, we are part of a worldwide community, then our horizons are expanded and we catch some little glimmers of hope. There are things, like the Peacemaking Offering, that we can do together, that we could never do all by ourselves.
Communion is designed to draw us in. We do this because Jesus invites us to remember Him in this way. As we remember Him this way we cannot help from considering the life He lived, the things He embodied, and the lessons He taught us. When we take bread and wine in the shadow of His Cross we are drawn to consider how He died and what His death may mean for our lives. We are drawn also to consider that our Cross is an empty Cross. That His death was not an end in itself but a new beginning. The mystery of His Resurrection and Ascension confront us here.
If God was in Christ redeeming the world, then how do we become part of the solution rather than part of the problem? Jesus promised that He would send His Holy Spirit to be the great counselor, enabler and comforter. It is around this table, laid with bread and wine, that we are encouraged to come and nurture our lives on God's living love.
It is around this table that we invited to stop scratching and reflect on the promises of God. 'I will never leave you or forsake you' promised Jesus to His disciples. God is not giving up on us, God is not giving up on our world, God is not through with the business of redemption or the work of healing or the task of peacemaking.
Job was man of integrity. He was nearly overwhelmed by the circumstances that befell his life. Somehow God got him through. And somehow God will get us though just as long as we can keep our focus on what God can do.
Communion. Not just with each other, but with God. Lives nurtured by God. Lives that find their sustenance in doing God's will and their refreshment in soaking up and sharing God's love. That's what we are invited to around this table. And it is an invitation that goes out to all the world.
We began our service today in different languages declaring, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whomsoever believeth in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”
Here is hope. Here is an opportunity to renew our lives before God as we remember that God wants to be involved in our struggles, in our heartaches, in our dilemmas. Here is God saying, “I've been there before and I will be there for you. No matter what life does to you, remember I transform places of desolation into times of celebration, places of crucifixion into moments of resurrection.”
This is a time for gratitude. This world may well be a place of dilemmas and contradictions, but we are not powerless. Thank God. We have life. We have a voice. We have each other. God has placed at our disposal many wonderful resources and opportunities to change things for the better. The little things we can do are actually the big things in the Kingdom. Mustard seed faith moves mountains.
Let us join with others around the world to recommit our lives to the Prince of peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. As we share these elements of bread and wine, may they nurture us for the journey that lies ahead of us. And to God's name be all glory, honor and praise. Amen.
Rev. Adrian J. Pratt B.D.
Monday, October 1, 2012
THE DEPTH OF GOD
Reading: Psalm 124, Esther 7:1-22, Romans 11:33-12:8, Mark 9:38-50
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on September 30th 2012
A printable PDF file can be found here
In 1975 a French scholar of oriental and Christian traditions, Yves Raguin, published a book called ‘The Depth of God’. In the introduction he complains that Western Christianity has made God ‘Too obvious’. That theologians and church leaders have thought that by providing people with increasingly simplified definitions of what God is like they would bring God closer.
But the result had been, not to bring God closer, but make God seem smaller. The book suggests that the awesome, mystery, otherness and holiness of God, often spoken of in other religious traditions, is in danger of being lost.
It is about the depth of God that I wish to speak today and take for a text Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways! (NAB).
To me these words of Paul speak about three things;
The Majesty of God
The Mastery of God’s Knowledge
The Mystery of God’s Ways.
The Depth of God…Majesty, Mastery and Mystery! Let’s look at the first of those.
The Majesty of God “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”
Twenty First Century humanity is held captive by the belief that everything we need can be provided by our own efforts. We put our faith in the miracles of science and technology and human progress for our salvation. Many believe that one day we are going to work it all out and that when we do we won’t need God to fill in the gaps.
Such a world view elevates the place of humankind to that of being a deity. We are Lords of our own destiny, Kings of our own domains, Master’s of our own Universe. The problem is that we cannot enthrone humanity without dethroning God. The price of inflating ourselves is that we make faith in God seem shallow.
Back when Paul wrote to the Roman Christians he didn’t have that problem. As he thought about the majesty of God, his soul seemed to burst. The words flow out from him, “Oh… the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! Oh…The Depth.. the depth of God!
When I lived in Wales over in Great Britain I used to regularly travel a road that went from the place where I lived in Wales to my hometown of Moreton in England. It was called the A55 and it wasn’t the sort of road that you took your time on. It was the main four lane road that the big trucks took as they were headed to and from Ireland. It was the only road that led along the coast of North Wales. And it was usually extremely busy.
Summer travelers shared tales of lengthy traffic jams that had occurred when the annual road works created ten mile long hold ups. Accidents were regular. If you have ever driven in the British Isles you’ll be aware that some folk, as in some places in the States, interpret speed limits as being minimums rather than maximums.
Once upon a time it was a wee winding road that wove its way through seaside towns, past castles, and churches. But as it had been straightened and widened and a bypass added here and there, it had become much like any other busy highway. You got on it, set your controls for the heart of the sun… and zoom… away you went.
But one time, I can’t recall quite why, I pulled off onto one of the roadside lay-bys, and was astonished to see the panoramic view that I had so often sped by. It was a clear day and spread out before me was the River Dee, the gentle rolling land of the Wirral peninsular where I grew up and a glimpse of Liverpool with it’s two grand cathedrals beyond.
As I looked at the view I was suddenly awestruck at how much of my life had been shaped in that particular geographic area. That’s where I had found faith. That’s where on numerous occasions God had broken through to my life with His love. That’s where I had felt a call to minister. That’s where I had served in the city of Liverpool.
As I stood in that lay-by with the traffic rushing by, for a while I was in another place, I was oblivious to the noise and busyness. All I could think of was how great were the riches of God, that He, the Great Creator King, should send His Son to die upon a cross for a person like me, that He, the Lord of all, should desire somebody like me to share in the work of His Kingdom.
I was completely overwhelmed, almost numb. If an angel had descended into view and said, “Hey, how’s it going” I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised. As one of our hymns declares; ‘The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of God’s glory and grace.’ Or as Paul says...“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” When we take time out to consider how awesome God is, it can profoundly affect our lives. How little room we allow ourselves for focusing on the majesty of God. Then there is;
The Mastery of God’s Knowledge. “How inscrutable are His judgments”.
Isn’t that a great word? ‘Inscrutable’. When I was a kid my dad used to talk about the ‘inscrutable Chinese’. (But I never could figure out why the Chinese should be more inscrutable than anybody else.)
However, the dictionary tells me it means “Difficult to fathom or understand, impenetrable, mysterious”. This verse tells us ‘How impossible to fathom, how mysterious, how inscrutable are the judgments of God, How deep are His wisdom and knowledge.”
To me God’s inscrutableness is like this. Nobody knows us as well as God does. God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows exactly what is best for our life. God knows everything we are going through. God knows our temptations, our failures, our disappointments, our trials, our victories, our joys, our laughter, our thankfulness.
Sometimes when people are going through a hard time, you’ll hear them say, “God knows what I’m going to do now!” What they are actually saying is that they haven’t got a clue what they are going to do now because something bad has happened. That’s desperately sad. That the phrase ‘God knows’ has become equated with the fear that nobody can help! Say the phrase ‘God knows’ without faith in your heart and it is a cry of futility.
But proclaim 'God knows!’ with faith in your heart and it becomes a song of hope! God alone can truly judge the pros and cons of any situation. What looks to us to be a place of desperation, can be, through the eyes of faith, a great opportunity to encounter the grace of God.
In His life Christ demonstrated that 'God knows'. He was the healer. His touch bought peace. He was the One who forgave, even those who struggled to forgive themselves. He was the One who said to people, ‘Look for you this is right and for you this is wrong”.
He could do that because He knew peoples hearts and would sometimes speak a rebuke for their shallowness, at other times a great word of encouragement. The gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all point us to the God who knows.
The Acts of the Apostles, point us to the God who knows how to build His Church. The letters of Paul and Peter and John and all the others point us to how faith works out in given situations. The book of Revelation goes further and points us to the God who knows how it all turns out in the end!
The New Testament witness to an egocentric world which seeks to dethrone God is that we are fools to think that our understanding of God is anything compared to the depth of God’s knowledge of us. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments”… The Majesty of God, the Mastery of God’s inscrutable knowledge… and finally mystery…
The Mystery of God’s Ways “How unsearchable” proclaims Paul “are His ways!”
Sometimes theologians give Paul a hard time. Accuse him of being dogmatic or judgmental. But that’s not the Paul who comes across in this verse. In the book of Romans Paul writes on the great themes of the law of God and of the grace revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Then he reaches the eleventh chapter and it’s as though he has to pause and take a breath, as though he is totally aware of the enormity of his task, as though he knows that his words are an imperfect vehicle to truly convey the depth of God’s love towards us.
I saw a picture in a National Geographic magazine of people walking around the rim of a large still active volcano. They looked small, like little ants on the edge, gazing down into this pool of molten rock and heat, shielding their eyes as they looked over. They had climbed so far, but now all they could do was gaze in wonder at an environment they could never penetrate.
So Paul, having used all his impressive skills to penetrate the mystery of God and explain the glorious gospel of salvation, in chapter eleven pauses at the rim; “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways “
The depth of God! If this be the God we are encountering during worship, if this be the God who claims the love of our lives, then how foolish we are to think that we can solve our problems without reference to God's presence. How foolish we are when we refuse to abandon ourselves to God's love. Such an awesome God can handle whatever we throw at Him. Such an awesome God is one we can trust to hold us.
God has revealed God’s love through Jesus Christ. God sends love to be received in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. I invite us today to trust in the depth of God’s love to meet the deepest needs of our lives. Amen!
Adrian Pratt
Preached at First Presbyterian Church, Baldwin, NY on September 30th 2012
A printable PDF file can be found here
In 1975 a French scholar of oriental and Christian traditions, Yves Raguin, published a book called ‘The Depth of God’. In the introduction he complains that Western Christianity has made God ‘Too obvious’. That theologians and church leaders have thought that by providing people with increasingly simplified definitions of what God is like they would bring God closer.
But the result had been, not to bring God closer, but make God seem smaller. The book suggests that the awesome, mystery, otherness and holiness of God, often spoken of in other religious traditions, is in danger of being lost.
It is about the depth of God that I wish to speak today and take for a text Romans 11:33 “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways! (NAB).
To me these words of Paul speak about three things;
The Majesty of God
The Mastery of God’s Knowledge
The Mystery of God’s Ways.
The Depth of God…Majesty, Mastery and Mystery! Let’s look at the first of those.
The Majesty of God “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!”
Twenty First Century humanity is held captive by the belief that everything we need can be provided by our own efforts. We put our faith in the miracles of science and technology and human progress for our salvation. Many believe that one day we are going to work it all out and that when we do we won’t need God to fill in the gaps.
Such a world view elevates the place of humankind to that of being a deity. We are Lords of our own destiny, Kings of our own domains, Master’s of our own Universe. The problem is that we cannot enthrone humanity without dethroning God. The price of inflating ourselves is that we make faith in God seem shallow.
Back when Paul wrote to the Roman Christians he didn’t have that problem. As he thought about the majesty of God, his soul seemed to burst. The words flow out from him, “Oh… the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! Oh…The Depth.. the depth of God!
When I lived in Wales over in Great Britain I used to regularly travel a road that went from the place where I lived in Wales to my hometown of Moreton in England. It was called the A55 and it wasn’t the sort of road that you took your time on. It was the main four lane road that the big trucks took as they were headed to and from Ireland. It was the only road that led along the coast of North Wales. And it was usually extremely busy.
Summer travelers shared tales of lengthy traffic jams that had occurred when the annual road works created ten mile long hold ups. Accidents were regular. If you have ever driven in the British Isles you’ll be aware that some folk, as in some places in the States, interpret speed limits as being minimums rather than maximums.
Once upon a time it was a wee winding road that wove its way through seaside towns, past castles, and churches. But as it had been straightened and widened and a bypass added here and there, it had become much like any other busy highway. You got on it, set your controls for the heart of the sun… and zoom… away you went.
But one time, I can’t recall quite why, I pulled off onto one of the roadside lay-bys, and was astonished to see the panoramic view that I had so often sped by. It was a clear day and spread out before me was the River Dee, the gentle rolling land of the Wirral peninsular where I grew up and a glimpse of Liverpool with it’s two grand cathedrals beyond.
As I looked at the view I was suddenly awestruck at how much of my life had been shaped in that particular geographic area. That’s where I had found faith. That’s where on numerous occasions God had broken through to my life with His love. That’s where I had felt a call to minister. That’s where I had served in the city of Liverpool.
As I stood in that lay-by with the traffic rushing by, for a while I was in another place, I was oblivious to the noise and busyness. All I could think of was how great were the riches of God, that He, the Great Creator King, should send His Son to die upon a cross for a person like me, that He, the Lord of all, should desire somebody like me to share in the work of His Kingdom.
I was completely overwhelmed, almost numb. If an angel had descended into view and said, “Hey, how’s it going” I wouldn’t have been the least bit surprised. As one of our hymns declares; ‘The things of earth grow strangely dim in the light of God’s glory and grace.’ Or as Paul says...“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!” When we take time out to consider how awesome God is, it can profoundly affect our lives. How little room we allow ourselves for focusing on the majesty of God. Then there is;
The Mastery of God’s Knowledge. “How inscrutable are His judgments”.
Isn’t that a great word? ‘Inscrutable’. When I was a kid my dad used to talk about the ‘inscrutable Chinese’. (But I never could figure out why the Chinese should be more inscrutable than anybody else.)
However, the dictionary tells me it means “Difficult to fathom or understand, impenetrable, mysterious”. This verse tells us ‘How impossible to fathom, how mysterious, how inscrutable are the judgments of God, How deep are His wisdom and knowledge.”
To me God’s inscrutableness is like this. Nobody knows us as well as God does. God knows us better than we know ourselves. God knows exactly what is best for our life. God knows everything we are going through. God knows our temptations, our failures, our disappointments, our trials, our victories, our joys, our laughter, our thankfulness.
Sometimes when people are going through a hard time, you’ll hear them say, “God knows what I’m going to do now!” What they are actually saying is that they haven’t got a clue what they are going to do now because something bad has happened. That’s desperately sad. That the phrase ‘God knows’ has become equated with the fear that nobody can help! Say the phrase ‘God knows’ without faith in your heart and it is a cry of futility.
But proclaim 'God knows!’ with faith in your heart and it becomes a song of hope! God alone can truly judge the pros and cons of any situation. What looks to us to be a place of desperation, can be, through the eyes of faith, a great opportunity to encounter the grace of God.
In His life Christ demonstrated that 'God knows'. He was the healer. His touch bought peace. He was the One who forgave, even those who struggled to forgive themselves. He was the One who said to people, ‘Look for you this is right and for you this is wrong”.
He could do that because He knew peoples hearts and would sometimes speak a rebuke for their shallowness, at other times a great word of encouragement. The gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, all point us to the God who knows.
The Acts of the Apostles, point us to the God who knows how to build His Church. The letters of Paul and Peter and John and all the others point us to how faith works out in given situations. The book of Revelation goes further and points us to the God who knows how it all turns out in the end!
The New Testament witness to an egocentric world which seeks to dethrone God is that we are fools to think that our understanding of God is anything compared to the depth of God’s knowledge of us. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments”… The Majesty of God, the Mastery of God’s inscrutable knowledge… and finally mystery…
The Mystery of God’s Ways “How unsearchable” proclaims Paul “are His ways!”
Sometimes theologians give Paul a hard time. Accuse him of being dogmatic or judgmental. But that’s not the Paul who comes across in this verse. In the book of Romans Paul writes on the great themes of the law of God and of the grace revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Then he reaches the eleventh chapter and it’s as though he has to pause and take a breath, as though he is totally aware of the enormity of his task, as though he knows that his words are an imperfect vehicle to truly convey the depth of God’s love towards us.
I saw a picture in a National Geographic magazine of people walking around the rim of a large still active volcano. They looked small, like little ants on the edge, gazing down into this pool of molten rock and heat, shielding their eyes as they looked over. They had climbed so far, but now all they could do was gaze in wonder at an environment they could never penetrate.
So Paul, having used all his impressive skills to penetrate the mystery of God and explain the glorious gospel of salvation, in chapter eleven pauses at the rim; “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways “
The depth of God! If this be the God we are encountering during worship, if this be the God who claims the love of our lives, then how foolish we are to think that we can solve our problems without reference to God's presence. How foolish we are when we refuse to abandon ourselves to God's love. Such an awesome God can handle whatever we throw at Him. Such an awesome God is one we can trust to hold us.
God has revealed God’s love through Jesus Christ. God sends love to be received in our hearts through the Holy Spirit. I invite us today to trust in the depth of God’s love to meet the deepest needs of our lives. Amen!
Adrian Pratt
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