Sermon Preview: Sex Talk

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful.”
1 Corinthians 6:12

                Everybody’s doing it; it’s not so bad, what’s the big deal anyway!  This phrase could be heard coming from just about any teenager, anywhere, about almost any topic.  Today this is less about teenagers and more about all of us, and the topic is all about SEX!

                That’s right, today in church we’ll be talking about sex and specifically sex outside of marriage.  Many people think they know what the Bible/the Church have to say about sex (don’t do it!), but is that really true?  This is the message many have heard from those of us representing people of faith, and sadly not much more.

                That theme of rules (mostly “thou shalt not’s”) and nothing but rules, ends today.  We’ll spend some time talking about what the Bible does say about sex (which by the way is a whole lot), and what that means for those of us who are people of faith.  So buckle your seatbelts and get ready for a wild ride!

Sermon Scraps (6/17/12)

Welcome to the Father's Day edition of Sermon Scraps.  This week our primary text was Matthew 23:1-12 and while Jesus' criticisms were directed toward the scribes and pharisees I suggested that they were equally meaningful for Fathers.

Notes:
v. 2 - "teachers of the law" (Gk. grammateus - clerk, scribe, secretary) - this designation refers to an official position within the temple, in contrast to "pharisees" (Gk. pharisaios - this word is transliterated) which was a sect of Judaism likely begun after the Babylonian exile.  The purpose/significance of the Jesus mentioning the two separate groups is unclear.  Some have suggested that the pharisees were the opponents of the church when Matthew's gospel was being written and therefore the group was included when Matthew recorded this passage.
       - "in Moses' seat" is likely a reference to a stone seat in front of the synagogue reserved for "teachers of the law" who were seen as authoritative teachers.  To sit in another's seat is to succeed said person, therefore to sit in "Moses' seat" is to be seen as a successor of Moses.

v. 4 - This verse (in it's entirety) has more to do with the seeming unwillingness of the "teachers of the law" and "pharisees" to help others in fulfilling the burdens they ascribe than it does with them actually fulfilling the law.  In other words Jesus is criticizing them here for their unwillingness to help others.

v. 5 - "phylacteries" (Gk. phulakterion - fortified place, safeguard, amulet) - the use of phylacteries (a small boxes fastened around one's forehead containing scriptures within) derives from some Jews' reading of Deuteronomy 6:4-9.

Sermon Sampler - Please Pass the Salt (6/3/12)

“You are the salt of the earth.  But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?”

Matthew 5:13a

What did Jesus mean when he said that his followers were the salt of the earth?  Was he suggesting some similarity between their purpose and the usefulness of salt?  Probably.  But which of salt’s many uses was Jesus’ likely thinking about?  Salt serves a variety of purposes, and over time (and depending on the region in which you are living) those uses have had more or less emphasis for people.  In the biblical text alone salt was used within sacrificial practices, rites of purification and as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel.  Practically speaking salt can be used to season food, as a means of food preservation, and even is essential for life!

So what was Jesus likely thinking of when he told his audience that it was they who were "the salt of the earth"?  The Message translates the saying accordingly, you are the "salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth."(Matthew 5:13)  It would appear that the translator would like us to think about food seasoning aspect of salt when reading Jesus' words.  If this is the case then we are to understand our purpose as one of adding "God-flavors" to our world, namely our friends, family, co-workers and even community at large.  Of course many of us fall on one end or the other of the flavor spectrum.  We either dump the entire shaker out on our world, or we are clogged up, and are hardly discernible as salt at all.  Balance is key, but the ultimate question from this perspective would be "How am I adding "God-Flavors" to my world?"

In the ancient world, salt was commonly used as a means to preserve food.  While this is not a common means of food preservation any longer, we still use this method in what we call beef jerky.  If we are to be like salt as it preserves food, then we might see ourselves as preserving a world that is liable to rot (as unprepared meat will).  The obvious question then becomes what of the world (and ourselves) are we to preserve?  If you've ever bought "cheap" beef jerky, you may have had the misfortune of getting a piece that is more fat and gristle than actual meat!  This kind of preservation is less than satisfactory, and for many can ruin the entire product.  The same can be said for you and I if we are to serve as salt preserving our world.  The question then should be asked "What of myself and my world is God calling me to preserve?"

While salt as seasoning and food preservation is important, salt is most importantly a vital part of human life.  To have too little salt in one's body can result in a condition known as hyponatremia, which essentially manifests similar symptoms to dehydration.  This image of salt's purpose is especially compelling in a world that longs for the spiritual, is perpetually thirsty, and yet cannot seem to quench it's thirst.  Now the question to be asked is "How am I providing relief to a thirsty world?"

It's important for those of us who read our Bible's in English to realize that when Jesus said "you" the word he used was not only emphatic (like pointing his finger) but was also plural, meaning that he was speaking to all who were listening.  The effect of this is that it is not simply I or you who are salt, but it is all of us.  Our questions now become "How are we adding "God-Flavors to our world?" "What of ourselves and our world is God calling us to preserve?" and "How are we providing relief to a thirsty world?"

I will end this as Jesus began...you are the salt of the earth.

Sunday's Scraps (6/3/12)

Primary Text Matthew 5:13-16

v. 13 - "you" (Gk. humeis - 5210) - the "you" here is plural and emphatic (the word is already implied by the context and so adding the word "humeis" adds emphasis to Jesus' point).
         - "salt" (Gk. halas - 217) - salt has a plethora of uses, and in the Bible alone plays a role in sacrifices, purification rituals, and signs of covenant.
         - "loses its saltiness" (Gk. moraino - 3471) - the word hear can either be translated "to lose flavor" or "to be foolish".  It could be that both meanings are appropriate, as salt that no longer acts like salt (or a disciple who does not act as such) is truly foolish.
         - "good for anything" - the point here is that just like salt, the disciples have an expressed purpose.  If they cease to fulfill their purpose they become worthless.  While no one wants to say that they themselves or another is without value (we as people believe we have intrinsic value), Jesus is making the point loud and clear that their role (and ours as well) as disciples is necessarily about fulfilling a specific purpose and their value as disciples is also necessarily linked.
         - "trodden under food" - technically salt (sodium chloride) is a stable element and cannot cease to be what it is.  That is in it's most refined state.  Having said this, the of the salt in the ancient world would have come from a type of salt marshes and would have contained many other impurities.  It was not uncommon for the salt (sodium chloride) itself to eventually be leached out of the mixture leaving only the impurities behind.

v. 14 - "you" (Gk. humeis - 5210) - once again the plural, emphatic "you" is used to drive the point home.
         - "light" (Gk. phos - 5457) - light is another example of that which exists for a purpose, and in an of itself does not have value, but rather realizes value by fulfilling its purpose (illumine other things).  The light metaphor was one that Israel traditionally understood of itself in it's mission to be a blessing to the nations of the world.  The author is appropriating this imagery and reinterpreting it for the newly emerging Christian movement, which in many ways (necessarily) saw itself as the descendant and inheritor of Israel's mission.

* Both "salt" and "light" have characteristics that are intrinsic to each (respectively saltiness and luminescence).  These symbols fit nicely with the purpose of the author (and of course Jesus) in that the essence of each is not generated by said substance, but rather is necessarily a part of it.  The same is true for the disciples and Christians (the Church) following.  We are not the light, we do not produce the light, but rather have been given the light (gospel, holy spirit, good news, etc.) and are called to share it with the world.  This places in proper perspective the the gift and responsibility every Christian has been given and leaves no room for anything other than humility as one's response.