Sleepless in Susa : Things are not always as they seem (Esther 6:1-6:14)
Once upon a time a man was shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. He was the lone survivor. Over several months, he constructed a shelter from pieces of wood salvaged from the wreck and from whatever he could find on the island. That little hut was the only protection he had from the elements. It was the only place he cold safeguard his meagre possessions. Upon returning from a lengthy search for food, he was distraught to find the hut engulfed in flames. He spent that night despondent, sleeping on the sand and feeling like God had completely abandoned him. He awoke early the next morning to discover a ship anchored off the island. A crew member stepped ashore and said with a smile, “We saw your smoke signal and came to rescue you.” What seemed to be destruction turned out to be deliverance. And such was the case with Mordecai. He had been shipwrecked by an undercurrent of anti-Semitism on an island of injustice. Now he stood in the shadow of death. Every hope that may have sheltered him had gone up in smoke. But, as we shall see, things are not always as they seem.
We’ve been studying the story of Esther the past few weeks. I don’t know about you, but I’m really beginning to see that God is sovereign. His plans are always providential. Throughout the entire story, although His name is never mentioned, the invisible hand of almighty God has been working behind the scenes on behalf of His people. It’s just like the promise found in Romans 8 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). In the story of Esther we see God working out his purposes for the benefit of those who love and follow Him. This evening I want us to discover five little things you should know about a great big God:
1. When all seems lost, it isn’t.
2. When no one seems to notice, God does.
3. When everything seems great, it’s not.
4. When nothing seems just, it is.
5. When God seems absent, he is truly present
(And I am enormously grateful to Charles Swindoll for 4/5s of this outline and the inspiration for much of the content).
Please make yourself comfortable. Now please cross your arms. Not hard was it? Glance down and notice the position of your hands and arms. O.K. Relax, unfold your arms. Now I’d like you to do it again. But this time, put the arm that was underneath on top and the arm that was on top underneath.
In other words, reverse your arms. Got it? I can see some of you are having difficulty. It wasn’t as easy to do this time, was it? Did it feel awkward? Uncomfortable? You really had to think about it. The first time it was natural, it didn’t require any thought, because that’s your preferred way of doing it.
We each cross our arms in a certain way, and no arm crossing technique is right or wrong, good or bad. They are just different. And arm crossing is typical of just about everything we think and do. That is my first point this morning.
1. Recognise in one another our unique God-given personalities
As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.” (10:38-39)
Martha is feeling a little tense. You would too. Thirteen hungry men have just showed up unexpectedly.
Martha was grateful that the Master felt at home with them. It was an honour and privilege to host Jesus and his friends. But Martha was irritated as well. It was not that she did not have enough food, but that her sister was not helping her serve. Mary and Martha had very different personalities. Mary’s tranquil composure vividly contrasting with Martha’s busy fussiness. Mary was totally absorbed as she listened to the Master. She eagerly drank in his every word. The uppermost question in her mind was “How can I enjoy him the most? What can I learn from him today?”
The Butterball Turkey company has a hotline to answer consumer questions about preparing and cooking turkeys. Occasionally they get a rather unusual query. One lady called to inquire about cooking a turkey that had been in her freezer for 23 years. The operator told her it might be safe if the freezer had been kept below 0 degrees the entire time. But the operator warned the woman that, even if it were safe, the flavour had probably deteriorated, and she wouldn’t recommend eating it. The caller replied, “That’s what we thought. We’ll just give it to the church.” Why do we find that story funny? She was consecrating her Turkey to God, wasn’t she? It’s the thought that counts, doesn’t it? This morning, in our series on Jesus and women, we meet the lady who knew how to handle money. I want us to observe how impressed Jesus is with her. We don’t know her name but we do learn:
True Giving is Unpretentious: Observed by God’s Son
True Giving is Sacrificial: Prized in God’s Economy
True Giving is Reckless: Trust in God’s Provision
1. True Giving is Unpretentious: Observed by God’s Son
“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.” (Mark 12:41-42)
Imagine the scene. Jesus has just had a rather tense confrontation with some of the religious leaders. He heads to the Temple with his disciples. In the temple, there is a section called court of the women which both men and women were allowed to come, and where the temple treasury was located. The Bible says that Jesus sat down on a bench where he could watch the people bring their offerings and put them in one of the thirteen trumpet-shaped collection boxes. Each one had a different purpose. There was a box for contributions to the building fund. One was for the priests’ salary. One was for helping the poor. When people went up to put their tithe and offering into the box they would announce the amount of the gift and its purpose. They might say, “£500 for the building fund, and £200 for the hunger relief fund.” And metal on metal, their gifts made a good deal of noise as they fell into the collection boxes. But not this widow’s contribution. Her two coins were lepta, the smallest coins in circulation. They were worth almost nothing. Amidst the din of the wealthy givers, her contribution would have made no sound at all. And had it not been for Jesus, her visit to the Temple that day would have been unnoticed. But Jesus not only observed her giving. He observed her condition and motivation.
What do you think? Is God observing us in the same way today? Does he read our minds? Does he delight in our motives? Not how much we give but why we give? I believe He does. Giving is an act of worship, our response to God’s revelation of Himself. How much we give will reflect our thankfulness for all that God has given us. How much we give reveals much about how we view all that he has entrusted to us. In giving we are expressing the level of our gratefulness. It is not the amount but the motivation Jesus is looking at. True Giving is Unpretentious: Observed by God’s Son.
2. True Giving is Sacrificial: Prized in God’s Economy
“Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.” (Mark 12:43)
Amongst the noise of the large quantities of coins being tossed into the collection boxes, this woman’s contribution would not have been heard or noticed. But in God’s upside down economy the noise made by her small gift was deafening.
As she leaves, unnoticed in the crowds, Jesus thought her gift so important he draws the attention of his disciples to her and says, “The truth is this widow has given by far the largest offering today, far more than all the other gifts combined. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!”
To the Lord, how much she gave was not as important as how much she had left afterwards. God is pleased when someone like her gives unpretentiously, joyfully and sacrificially. It is not the amount given but the motivation of the giver that is prized in God’s economy. Money is of no value to God.
“The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.” (Acts 17:24-25)
God wants us to give, not because he needs our money but because we need to demonstrate that we trust him with his world. The Lord puts it this way in 2 Corinthians:
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8)
Our generosity is measured not by what others may give but by what we are capable of giving, what we are willing to give.
That is why I hope you will contribute to our ‘Turing Wine into Water’ appeal to provide a well for Nkondo Village and enlarge Goshen Christian School in Uganda in August. I do hope you will come to Stanlake Park for the afternoon on Saturday 16th July. God highly prizes such giving. Mother Teresa once said, “If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving” Think about that. “If you give what you do not need, it isn’t giving” True Giving is Unpretentious: Observed by God’s Son. True Giving is Sacrificial: Prized in God’s Economy.
3. True Giving is Reckless: Trusting in God’s Provision
“They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything— all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:44)
What some might regard as foolish recklessness, Jesus praises. Jesus praises her because she had literally given all her worldly wealth to the God she loved. She placed herself entirely in the hands of God. And there is no safer place to be.
She had no one else to provide for her. And in this act of dedication she became totally dependent on God. Have you ever been in such a place? It may be utterly scary but it is totally liberating. I can only remember being in that place once in my life. As a student I went on holiday to Sweden and discovered it was rather more expensive than I had budgeted for. During my last few days and on the ferry home I lived on bread and jam bought with the last of my Kroners. When I arrived at Harwich I was penniless. I remember being accosted by a beggar on the railway station asking me for money and empathising with him as I was broke too. When you have nothing left you become very dependent.
The lady in our story had nowhere to turn but God and his provision. Did he provide for her? We are not. However we do know that God promises to provide for all who trust in Him. Psalm 37 says,
“The blameless spend their days under the LORD’s care, and their inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.” (Psalm 37:18-19)
That is why Jesus insists,
“Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
What about you? Do you think God means us to believe these promises apply to us today? Too often, we play it safe don’t we? We play it safe when we give to God with the attitude, “I’ll give this amount, but I’ll hold back the rest just in case God doesn’t come through for me.” We hedge our bets just in case God drops the ball. This applies to more than money. It applies to our time and service for God as volunteers as well. We play it safe. We want to stay in our comfort zone. We doubt that God will help us. We get comfortable in our little corner doing what we’ve always done or giving what we’ve always given. In effect we are saying we believe that we can manage our affairs better than God can. So let me ask you, are you willing to be reckless for God? Extravagant with God? That was why Jesus praises the widow’s giving, because it was unpretentious, it was sacrificial, it was reckless.
Conclusion
A sobbing little girl, Hattie May Wiatt, stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it ’was too crowded.’ “I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the preacher as he walked by. The preacher looked on her shabby, unkempt appearance, and guessed the reason – taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class. The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus. About two years later, Hattie died and her parents called for the preacher, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, to handle her final arrangements. They told him that they found a worn and crumpled purse. Inside were 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday school.” For two years she had saved for this special offering. He wrote, “After the funeral the mother handed me the little bag with the gathered 57 cents. I took it to the church and stated that we had the first gift toward the new Sunday school building; I then changed all the money into pennies and offered them for sale. I received about $250 for the 57 pennies; and 54 of those cents were returned to me by the people who bought them. I then had them put in a frame where they could be seen and exhibited them, and we received by a sale of the $250 changed into pennies money enough to buy the next house north of the church. I walked over to see Mr. Baird, who lived on the corner and asked him what he wanted for this lot. He said that he wanted $30,000. I told him that we had only 54 cents toward the $30,000, but that we were foolish enough to think that some time we would yet own that lot. Mr. Baird said: ‘I have been thinking this matter over and have made up my mind I will sell you that lot for $25,000, and I will take the 54 cents as the first payment and you may give me a mortgage for the rest at 5%. I went back and so reported to the church, and they said: ‘Well, we can raise more money than 54 cents’, but I went over and left the 54 cents with Mr. Baird and took a receipt for it as a part payment on the lot. Mr. Baird afterwards returned the 54 cents as a gift. Thus we bought the lot, and thus encouraged of God step by step, we went on constructing this church. Then with the 54 cents they began work on Temple University, which over the years has trained thousands of young people in medicine, law and theology. Then they used the 54 cents to build the Samaritan hospital serving over 30,000 people a year. It eventually became Temple University Hospital which still provides free care for those unable to afford payment, regardless of race, nationality or creed. In Baptist Temple Church now in Blue Bell, Pasadena, there is a picture of the Hettie whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history and helped inspire others to build a church, a university and hospital.
Giving which God delights in is unpretentious because it is observed by God’s Son. Giving which God delights in is sacrificial because it is prized in God’s economy. Giving which God delights in is reckless because it demonstrates complete trust in God’s provision. May you find that to be true in your experience today. Lets pray.
With grateful thanks to Joel Santos, Wesley Bishop, Danilo Santiago and Paul Tuck, over on www.sermoncentral.com for their sermons on this passage, together with the commentaries on Mark’s Gospel by Dick France (The People’s Bible Commentary) and J.C. Ryle (Crossway Classic Commentaries).
As a young kid I used to read the newspaper every day, or at least the cartoon section. The Daily Mail still carries a one line Snoopy cartoon. It became my thought for the day through my teenage years. As I grew up, however, I moved on to more intellectual content like the Far Side cartoons of Gary Larson (I have the two volume definitive collection by the way). One of my other favourite cartoons is Calvin and Hobbes. On one occasion Calvin says, “You know what the problem is with the universe?… There’s no toll-free customer service hot line for complaints! That’s why things don’t get fixed. If the Universe had any decent management, we’d get a full refund if we weren’t completely satisfied!” Hobbes objects: “But hey, the universe is free.” To which Calvin retorts: “See, that’s another thing. They should have a cover charge and keep out all the riffraff.” If we’re honest, we may wish that the riffraff would indeed just go away or be punished.
For example, you may have been pleased to learn a few weeks ago of the capture and extra-judicial killing of Osama bin Laden. He got what he deserved. You may have expressed quiet satisfaction at the arrest of the head of the IMF, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, removed unceremoniously from his First Class seat aboard an Air France jet about to leave New York. You may even have smiled gleefully at the exposure of a well-known footballer who took out a High Court injunctions to hide his private life. But he couldn’t suppress Twitter or silence the MP who used Parliamentary Privilege to name him. Or you may be glad that Ratko Mladic has finally been arrested for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. You may feel a long drawn out trial in the Hague before the War Crimes Tribunal is too good for him. You may be disappointed that the lawyers seem more concerned about his human rights and his failing health than justice for the 7,500 men and boys he executed following the capture of Srebrenica. We tend to be tough on people when they do things that upset us. We clamour for immediate retribution. We cry to the God of justice to strike them down. But we also know all too well, how desperately we ourselves need God’s grace, mercy and forgiveness.
In our series on Jesus and women, we have come to the controversial story in John 8. So controversial it does not appear in all the early manuscripts. It’s a highly charged story about morality, justice and mercy, law and grace. The story can be broken into three:
Confrontation: Why Stone Throwing is so Popular (8:1-6a)
Conviction: Why Stone Throwing is so Dangerous (8:6b-9)
Compassion: Why Stone Throwing is so Unnecessary (8:10-11)
A language instructor was explaining to her class that in French, nouns, unlike their English counterparts, are grammatically designated as masculine or feminine. “House,” in French, is feminine = “la maison.” “Pencil,” in French, is masculine = “le crayon.” One puzzled student asked, “What gender is ‘computer’?” The teacher did not know, and the word wasn’t in her French dictionary. So for fun she split the class into two groups by gender, and asked them to decide whether “computer” should be a masculine or feminine noun. They were required to give four reasons. The men’s group decided that computers are definitely of the feminine gender (“la computer”),
No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else;
Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for possible later retrieval; and
As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your salary on accessories.
The women’s group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine (“le computer”),
In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on;
They can store a lot of data but can’t think for themselves
They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they are the problem; and
As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you’d waited a little longer, you could have got a better model.
I remember when Rachel our daughter wanted to play football at school she found it difficult to get picked for the team. The assumption then at least was that boys played football, while girls played net ball. But as you know sexism on the playing field is tame compared to the gender discrimination women face in career opportunities, in promotion prospects, in pay differentials, in the stereotype roles expected of both men and women, even within such a liberated and enlightened society as ours. One women executive said, “To get anywhere in the corporate world a woman has to do the same work a man would do in the same job, but she must do it twice as well.” Then she added wryly, “Fortunately, that is not difficult.” Another woman said, “We deserve more pay than men. After all, anything Fred Astaire could do, Ginger Rogers could do backwards and on high heels.” But that all changed for me when Michael was born, or at least that’s the impression some people gave when they asked how I felt to have a son and heir… My reply to that one was “I already had three heirs but was delighted to have a fourth.” It even happens in churches. I sometimes hear a speaker bemoan the fact that women outnumber men in many churches. Usually this is seen as evidence that the church is failing to relate effectively to men. Sometimes I wonder whether it may actually be an encouraging sign of something very different. Look at it from the opposite perspective, and ask why women, given a free choice of faiths, are attracted particularly to Christianity? Perhaps women have discovered something men haven’t. How do we follow Jesus without embarrassing God? By emulating the radical way Jesus Christ treated women and men. This morning I want us to discover what it means to be created in God’s image, both male and female. And we will find out by seeing how Jesus related to the Samaritan woman in John 4. Here we discover what Jesus thinks about three issues – Gender Equality, Complementary Roles, and Shared Ministry.
Some 8 year old children were once asked what love is:
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.”
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot because people forget.”
“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.”
This morning I want us to stop and listen, and consider three lessons we can learn about love from Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Please turn with me to Luke 1:26-38. I want us to see that while Mary may have been the most privileged among women, we can be privileged too.
1. No matter who you are, the Lord can use you
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”(Luke 1:26-27)
Remember the last time you filled out a job application? You listed your education, your skills, your work experience. Then you hit the final question: “What is it that makes you uniquely qualified for this position?” How do you answer without appearing arrogant? Employers assume your availability, but what they really want to know about is your liabilities. Most employers hire on the basis of competence. They look at your skill set and maybe your personality type. Only the enlightened ones care much about your character. But God doesn’t operate this way. Mary teaches us God is not as interested as your abilities as He is in your availability.
Esther 1:1-11: The Arrogance of Xerxes and the Context for God’s Sovereign Providence.
The story of Esther is quite remarkable. It belongs to that dark period in Jewish history when God’s people were enslaved and scattered right across the Babylonian empire. It has the fairy tale atmosphere of a 1001 nights, tinged with the deadly smell of Hitler’s gas chambers. After Auschwitz Concentration Camp, probably the saddest place I have ever visited is the Jewish cemetery in Prague. The cemetery is surrounded by high walls and it took a while to find the entrance. Inside 12,000 grave stones compete with one another for every inch of earth. As I stood there quietly reading the inscriptions that date back to the 16th Century, it was as if the clock had stopped when the Nazis invaded, never to start again. The gravestones are all that was left of what was once a thriving Jewish community.
In one of the eight former synagogues in the Jewish Quarter, is a museum. Inside there is an exhibition of letters and pictures drawn by Jewish children deported to various death camps. Each picture is a profound, silent epitaph to an unspeakably awful tragedy. Yet, the very fact that those pictures have survived and are displayed is eloquent testimony to God’s sovereign rule. God had not forgotten his people. It is no coincidence that the Book of Esther is still the number one favourite story in Jewish families.
The event is retold every year during the Feast of Purim in late February or early March. The Feast of Purim commemorates that first horrifying attempt at the extermination of the Jewish people, and how God providentially rescued his people. There are clearly strong parallels in the dramatic reversal of what seemed the disastrous fate of the Jewish race in the 5th Century BC and the 20th Century AD. During the Feast of Purim, in some Jewish families, children draw an H on the soles of their shoes – one for Haman and one for Hitler.
The one dictator boasted that his empire stretched a thousand miles, the other boasted that his empire would last a thousand years. But the sovereign Lord God enabled the Jewish people not only to survive but walk over both. History has a habit of repeating itself. Human nature is as unchanged as is the providential purposes of the God of heaven and earth. All that we are going to learn about from the Book of Esther on Sunday evenings this Summer, should remind us we are not merely learning about ancient history, or even the history of the Jewish people, but a much wider and more pervasive conflict
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Elizabeth: Strong in Faith and Character (Luke 1:5-25, 39-45)
Well, we have just witnessed the wedding of the Century, or at least one of them. When I meet a couple planning to get married, the first thing I have to do is ensure there are no legal impediments to them getting married. I am required to ask them a series of questions. How old are you? Where do you live? Have you been married before?
Are you related to one another? In the reading of the banns and at the very beginning of the marriage service we ask publicly if anyone knows of any reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now. You will be relieved to know that I don’t ask the lady about her foundation, mascara, lipstick, cosmetic surgery or hair colouring. But in 1770 things were very different. In that year Parliament passed an Act which specified additional impediments to marriage. These applied not only here but throughout the British Colonies including among our cousins in North America:
“All women, of whatever age, rank, profession or degree, whether virgins, maids or widows, that shall, from and after such Act impose upon, seduce or betray into matrimony, any of his Majesty’s subjects by virtue of scents, paints or cosmetics, artificial teeth, false hair, Spanish wool, iron-stays, bolstered hips or high-heeled shoes, shall incur the penalty of the law now in force against witchcraft… and that the marriage upon conviction shall be null and void.”
I am confident the Act was repealed long before the era of women’s liberation, but so far my searches have not brought any assurances.
So where did these derogatory and demeaning ideas about women come from? The controversies surrounding what hairstyles, clothing and makeup are acceptable, merely typify prejudices regarding gender roles and distinctions that are not only universal but go back centuries, indeed millennia. In Europe at least, we can race them to the cultural norms and prejudices of pre-Christian Roman, Greek and Jewish society. Kenneth Bailey observes that it is true,
“the Old Testament offers some high points regarding the place of women. The Books of Ruth and Esther along with the story of Deborah the prophetess and Jael, the wife of Heber, are prime examples (Judges 4-5). To this list must be added the remarkable description of a good woman by the Arab sage Lemmuel, king of Massa, recorded in Proverbs 31. However a deterioration seems to have taken place in the intertestamental period, as seen in the writings of Ben Sirach the aristocratic scholar of Jerusalem who lived and wrote in the early second century B.C. For Ben Sirach women could be good wives and mothers and are to be respected. But if you don’t like your wife, don’t trust her (Sir 7:26)… Deed no property to her during your lifetime and do not let her support you (Sir 33:20; 25:22-26). Women (he said) are responsible for sin coming into the world and their spite is unbearable (Sir 25:3-26). Daughters are a disaster. Indeed to Ben Sirach, a daughter was a total loss and a constant potential source of shame (Sir 7:24-29; 22:3-5; 26:9-12; 42:9-11)… A low point is reached where Ben Sirach writes, “Do not sit down with a woman for moth comes out of clothes… a man’s spite is preferable to a woman’s kindness…”[i]
It is not hard to see parallels between these ancient prejudices and the way women are treated in many cultures today. Bailey observes,
“On the positive side, the intertestamental literature incudes the book of Judith that champions a courageous, daring, brave woman who saves her city and people. Yet, with the passage of time and rise of rabbinic movement, the position of women by New Testament times was, on all levels, inferior to men. The question is, Did Jesus reinforce the attitudes toward women that were widespread in his time, or did he seek to reform them?”
That is what we are going to find out this Summer. Today we begin our new series entitled, ‘Jesus and Women: The Transforming Power of Redemptive Love.’ We are going to observe how Jesus encountered women. We are going to discover that Jesus never disgraced, abused, belittled, reproached, or stereotyped a woman. Just the opposite. Jesus raised women to the status God had always intended, fully equal with men. For God created both male and female in his image. While we may nod in agreement, we need to recognise that read Scripture we are invariably coloured by our own upbringing, cultural norms and stereotypes. For example, when we think of the disciples what image comes to mind? Twelve male Apostles? Yet the Scriptures show that Jesus drew both women and men to be his disciples. They became one extended holy family of sisters and brothers who followed Jesus and ministered to people. In this Jesus was very radical. He invited both women and men to share in his ministry, without shame or embarrassment. We will see that Jesus even depended on women financially.
Girls, this may seem like a strange question but in your circle of friends, are there any boys? And what about you boys? Do you have any friends who are, you know, girls? It may surprise you to know that although Jesus was a man he had many friends who were women and men.
He didn’t just have men disciples but women disciples too! The grown-ups are learning about some of the women that followed Jesus. And today we are thinking about Elizabeth. She was the mother of John the Baptist who was a kind of cousin of Jesus. There are 3 things we know about Elizabeth from the reading we just heard. Each of them begins with a B.
“Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” (Luke 1:5-6)
Elizabeth was BLAMELESS
What does that mean? Was she perfect? No, but when she did something wrong, she said sorry and God forgave her. She tried to obey the commands in the Bible.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
If we want to be blameless like Elizabeth we need to read our Bible and do what God says. And if we get angry or impatient, or rude or sulk, we need to say sorry and God will forgive us. She was blameless.
See if you can think of the second ‘B’. Its not so obvious…
“Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth… When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ” (Luke 1:13-14, 39)
Elizabeth was BOUNTIFUL
Not just because she was going to have a baby! But because she was blameless the Holy Spirit filled her to overflowing. She was filled with the Holy Spirit.
Her life showed the fruit of God’s Spirit especially toward Mary – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. You know the Holy Spirit wants to fill us so that we too can be bountiful followers of Jesus like Elizabeth. How can we be filled with the Spirit? Remember the verse we just looked at from 1 John?
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)
This is how we become blameless and bountiful. Let me illustrate with this teapot…
We are all like a little teapot. God wants to fill us and use us to help others come to know and love him too….
Confession and Filling is as simple as breathing. Exhale bad air, inhale clean air.
Elizabeth was Blameless and Bountiful.
And because of that… she was…See if you can guess the third ‘B’ from the story.
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:42-43)
Elizabeth was a BLESSING
Elizabeth was blessed by God and was a blessing to Mary and also baby Jesus.
How was she a blessing? She welcomed Mary into her home and looked after her for three whole months. Elizabeth was Blameless, she was Bountiful and she was a Blessing – and we can be too. What must we do? If we confess our sins God will forgive us, he will cleanse us and make us blameless. Then he will fill us with his Spirit to overflowing and make us bountiful, and then we can be a blessing to others.
Proclaiming the Resurrection of Jesus in Athens (Acts 17)
Proclaiming the resurrection may not be as hard as you may think. As Christians gather to celebrate Easter today, a recent national survey revealed that over half of people in Britain believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. New research published by Theos, the public theology think tank found that on the question of Easter’s significance today, 43% of the public believe that the Easter story is about Jesus dying for the sins of the world while only 26% think that the Easter story has no meaning today. 57% of people questioned said they believe that Jesus was executed by crucifixion, buried and rose from the dead, with over half of those (30% of the total sample) accepting the traditional Christian belief in the bodily resurrection of Christ and the rest (27%) believing that Jesus rose in spirit form. This widespread belief clearly informs people’s more general attitude to life after death. Over half of people said they believe in some kind of existence after death, although most of those (44% of the total) believe that ‘your spirit lives on after death’. Only 9% said they believe in a personal physical resurrection. So, while many people remain ignorant of what the Scriptures teach about God’s purposes, a majority of people in Britain do nevertheless believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus and do believe in life after death. Turning that general belief into a saving faith is the challenge before us as a church. The late Noel O. Lyons, for many years director of the Greater Europe Mission, used to say,
“Europe is looked over by millions of visitors and is overlooked by millions of Christians.” Europe needs the Gospel today just as it did in Paul’s day, and we dare not miss our opportunities. Like Paul, we must see with open eyes, pray with broken hearts and act from compassion for those who are lost. In ten days we begin our Summer Thursday Night courses. One of the courses is ‘Becoming a Contagious Christian’. Lets see what we can learn from the Apostle Paul about how to become contagious Christians. This evening, lets consider what Paul saw, how Paul felt, what Paul did and what Paul said. Continue reading →
