Unfolding Words

UNFOLDING WORDS

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, July 26, 2020

Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39

 

If you want to get at the core of the Gospel, and the heart of the Christian message, there is no better place in scripture than our NT lesson from Romans, today.  In it are timeless words of hope and assurance, to which we turn in ordinary and unusual circumstances.  Indeed, many Christians count one or more verses in this passage as their favorite in all of scripture.  And when we think about them, it is no wonder.  For, in this passage we have a great assurance of help when we are weak and feel unable to do or even say what we long to.  And in this passage, we have a promise that no matter what is happening, the goal and the outcome are good. along with that promise is the look behind the scenes, to realize that God has a grand plan, has prepared it ahead of time, and has your best interest in mind through it all.

Moreover, in this passage, we have an assurance of God’s love being the abiding reality of our lives. No matter what.  Throughout the entire passage, we think on these things in the light of who Christ is and what Christ has accomplished on our behalf.  How blessed we are that Paul wrote these things – inspired as he was by the Holy Spirit.  How blessed we are that we have them today – and not only have them, but live our lives according to these unfolding words.

 

The Spirit helps us in our weakness.  Very few of us like to look at our weaknesses.  We would prefer to emphasize our strengths.  “Here and here are our gifts and abilities”, we might say.  “Here are the things we have accomplished.  Here are the things we are good at.” Where we have skills others do not have.  Where we have abilities others cannot claim.  These things, we are glad to emphasize.  Like listing the accomplishments of our high school years in the senior class portion of the yearbook.  But please do not shine a spotlight on our weaknesses!

Yet, if we watch Jesus, we find him going for people’s weaknesses every time.  It is as if he knows that those weak places are where they can be reached the best.  So, JESUS goes to where people are hurting, or sick; where they have become lost or confused. In such places, Jesus meets and transforms people. Have you given your weaknesses to the Lord?  Or have you hidden them from him?  It is impossible to hide anything from Christ.  When we give him our weakness, whole-heartedly and unreservedly, Christ can make something wonderful happenen.

The most renowned doctor cannot cure your illness. unless you present it to that good physician. The wisest professor in the world cannot teach you what you need to learn, unless you show up, with your open mind. The kindest person in the world cannot show you how to be compassionate, until you put yourself into their hands, and let love lead the way.

 

In the same fashion, Paul says that we don’t know how to pray.  Now, many minsters will tell you that praying is part of the profession.  We work hard to prepare our prayers, keeping in mind who our church members are, and what might be happening in their world, as well as their lives. We try to craft those prayers not only to reach Gods ears, but also the depths of many a heart.  Praying is – part of who we are. And what pastor has not been in a gathering where someone says, “Pastor would you pray?” I like to say those are “Off the Cuff Prayers – because I have them embroidered on the cuff of my shirt!  (No. Not really).

But when Paul says we don’t know how to pray as we ought…, Paul means it for people who pray every day, as well as for those who pray every now and then.

 

If we knew how to pray as Jesus prays, then: lives would be transformed, water would turn to wine, wind and waves would be still, people would rise up and follow, crops would grow, the timid would become courageous, and more. If we knew just how to pray.

The good news is, even if we don’t know how to pray, we can depend on God’s Holy Spirit to give us the right prayer. At the right moment.  The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.  There are few more compelling phrases in all of holy writ than these.  The Holy Spirit takes us to the heart of the matter with power, and poetry: with sighs too deep for words.

 

Paul says that in the maze of human life we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.  The pessimist would say that they do not.  The realist would say that they might, but at what cost.  The optimist would say – of course they do, and perhaps ignore or downplay the tough realities of life.  But the Christian! Ah that is a whole other story

The Christian would say that even though things are good or bad or indifferent, sometimes in rapid-fire succession, even though the most tender joys of life are often tinged with sadness, even though what we worked and planned for might not turn out as we had anticipated, there is nevertheless an over-arching reality.  The reality of God’s goodness and intricate planning on our behalf. 

Paul says, God knew us before we were born.  God predestined us to place our lives in Christ’s. God has a place for us in the household of God.  God has particular things for us to do, and God looks upon us as holy and worthy of eternal life. God could not possibly have a higher positive regard for you than what we see in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our Lord. 

God knows you are worth it.  I suspect that somewhere along the way you have run across someone who has told you or acted as if you were NOT worth it.  Let me say this clearly to you.  Not only are they as wrong as wrong can be, but also, they are about as far from the love and grace of Jesus Christ as a person can go.  Avoid them if you can. Let them go, as hard as it may be. They are as dangerous as a tiger. And as deadly.

God thinks the world of you. God made you.  God planned for you to have a life worth living.  God knows you can reach people who would otherwise be lost and neglected. God loves you.  Whenever you think of the great sacrifice of the cross, I hope you hear these words:  you are worth it.  You are worth all of it.

 

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

         At many a funeral, you will hear the last portion of this passage.  About nothing being able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  I have read these lines at the majority of memorial services and funerals that I have led.  I hope that this is the message that comes through, beyond the sadness and sorrow, over and above the stark realities of death, as grief seems like a heavy weight, and it is nearly impossible to know how to go on, let alone deal with tomorrow and the next day.

         What then are we to say about these things?  What more is there to be said?  The things one says are always inadequate.  It’s the touch of loving hands, the hopes of beating hearts, the soaring of the spirit, the meeting of minds, it is hearing a still small voice, turning to see a bush that burns without being consumed, inhaling the aroma of crushed grapes and newly baked bread, it is letting the words of the Spirit unfold in you, in prayer, with sighs and groans, expressing what words cannot fully express.

 

What more is there to be said? Only that I hope you don’t wait until you are at a funeral or memorial service to hear these words.  That you will not wait until a day of sorrow, before they find a place in your heart and mind.   I hope that you hear them today, and make them yours, forever.  Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion. 

THE GOOD WE WANT TO DO

THE GOOD WE WANT TO DO

July 5, 2020

Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Psalm 145:8-14; Romans 7:15-25a

 “I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand.” The law of the Old Testament shows us what sin is, so that we can avoid it.  Which sounds good at first glance. But here is the problem.  We cannot avoid sin on our own.  So the law is bad. In the sense that it reveals the problem, but does not supply the solution.  It is somewhat like someone diagnosing a disease, but not offering a course of treatment.  Or like someone telling you that you have a leaky pipe, without doing the plumbing repairs. 

If we were to rely on the law, only – then we would be imprisoned in a state of the opposite of grace - judgment.  With no way out. But when we rely on grace as found in Jesus Christ – we are set free from that same prison,  For example…

Seat belts are good.  They protect us.  They keep us secure and safe in the event of an accident. But this happened. We had a new car.  Our kids were still in elementary school.  They were securely fastened into their seat belts.  We got home.  It was time to get out of the car. The only problem was, one of the seatbelts had malfunctioned.  It had locked into position, and would not budge.  The release button would not let go of the buckle.  And so our child was trapped in the seat.  What was mean to be a help, had become instead, a matter of harm.

That is what it is like to be under the law. The law is there to show us what sin is, so we can avoid it. It straps us into place, and is there to protect us. And it all works well, until it doesn’t.  And then.  It is a disaster.  The law then becomes that which reveals the problem but does not offer the solution.

How do we solve this dilemma?  The Dilemma Of The Seat Belt that had imprisoned our child in the car?  You have probably guessed what we did.  We went into the house, and we found a pair of scissors. Then, we went back to the car, and cut through the woven part of the belt, in order to set our child free. Jesus in his grace is like that pair of scissors who cuts through the problem of the law, and offers the means of grace. Paul says that every attempt to follow the letter of the law is bound to fail.  We can be set free only by Christ our Lord. I cannot say it any clearer than that.

When bound by sin, Paul found himself as locked into place as our child was.  There was no escape.  The law, which was fashioned for his wellbeing, had become that which immobilized him. He puts it in a way we can all identify with …

15 I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

In chapter seven of Romans, Paul is baring his soul.  It is the first time in the letter that he uses the pronoun “I”.  He is getting personal.  Very personal.  He is setting his own experience before the Romans, as an example. Not as a good example.  We might say as a bad example.  But better yet, as a realistic, honest example.  The apostle found himself so very far short of perfection, he wanted THEM to know that HE knew what it was like.  He says.  “I have been there.  I have been there more than I would care to admit.  But I will admit it, so that you can benefit from what I have to tell you.”

As John Calvin says: “Paul… sets himself before us as an example, since he has been regenerated, and in whom may easily appear the strife of the Spirit and the flesh, and therefore of the law of God, and our wickedness."

We don’t often use the word regenerated – and what is that but: Renewed – like a promise or vow, that has been forgotten, and is newly remembered. Restored – like a house that was left to neglect, and then found and brought back to its potential. Revived – like a drowning person, rescued, resuscitated, who can breathe again.  Redeveloped – like a run-down community, that is transformed into a neighborhood. Reinforced – like a crumbling foundation that is given strength and support and security. Restarted – like an old jalopy, that was abandoned in a barn long ago, but in the hands of a skilled mechanic, can run and move forward again. Rebooted – like a computer that had been caught in the spinning wheel of death.  And Rejuvenated – like dry and parched land – that has the new gift of living water. Regenerated, says John Calvin. Renewed, Restored, Revived, Redeveloped, Reinforced, Restarted, Rebooted, And Rejuvenated – in the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul talks about the coexistence (and mutual opposition) in his life of the "flesh" and the "spirit" – they are there, in the same renewed man, It isn’t that once Paul becomes a follower of Jesus, he no longer is prey to sin.  It is that once he becomes a follower of Jesus, he has a remedy – a way out of that sin. Something that cuts through what has a hold upon him, and sharp as scissors, sets him free. That something is the grace of Jesus Christ.

"The inner self, the better nature, our spiritual being, approves of and delights in the law of God. This is the part of our being that "wills to do good," as Paul says in verse 21.  Paul also says it is all too often overcome by evil.

         Do you see what Paul is getting at?  He wants us to remember: Saying "no" to sin is difficult.  Saying “no” to sin runs against our human nature.  Saying “no” to sin requires help. But saying 'no' to sin is also the pre-requisite to saying 'yes'" to freedom, love, and goodness.

Christians stand with one foot in the kingdom of this world, and the other foot in the kingdom of God. What a tension there is, between these two worlds! At baptism, we die to sin and are resurrected to new life (6:1-14), our sanctification is not instantaneous but is instead a journey that, once begun, continues throughout our lives.  And it shall be fully realized at the day of resurrection. Until then, no wonder we find ourselves in the same boat as Paul.  Not understanding our own actions (v. 15).  Failing to do what we want and doing what we hate (v. 15). Willing what is right, but failing to do it (v. 18).  And doing the evil that we do not want to do (v. 19). 

It is like standing on a dock, with one foot on the dock and one foot on the boat.  And the boat is about to leave the dock. There is a struggle going on within us (v. 23), and sometimes, we stay on the dock. At other times, we get in to the boat.  Sometimes, sin holds us captive (v. 23).  At other, better times, we go forward into freedom, love, and goodness.  You cannot be on the dock and in the boat at the same time.  You cannot go east and west at the same time.  Nor can you go down and up at the same time.

If the Old Testament law were the end of the story, we would always lose. Sin would always win. But the law is not the end of the story. The grace of Jesus Christ is the end of the story. And always wins in the end. No wonder Paul says: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

I have to mention, sometimes some people take a different tack than Paul does here. They mention themselves as good examples. They hope others will emulate them. And thereby do good, also. Paul does not say that, here in Romans.  Instead, the only person mentioned who is deserving of being the role model for the very best human conduct is Jesus Christ. Christ alone, sets a constantly perfect example. We cannot go wrong for long, when we follow him.

It is possible to see the ongoing warfare within Paul as a sign of spiritual health.  Sin continues to assault him.  Like a deadly virus, it tries to take over Paul’s life,  But sin’s victory not complete, Sin’s victory is not permanent.  The war between the grace of God and sin may rage within.

It “troubles” Paul. Even so, Paul remains confident about the outcome.  Paul will go on, in Romans 8 to say – “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death” (8:2).  Paul will proclaim:  “If the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you” (8:11).  As long as we live, the Lord will engage in this dialog in our lives.  Reminding us of grace, when we have sinned.  Calling us back, when we have strayed.  Keeping us close, when we have drifted.  And troubling our spirits, when we need reminding…

-       As songwriter Susan Werner sings:

“My Lord will trouble me

In the whisper of the wind, in the rhythm of a song

My Lord will trouble me

To keep me on the path where I belong

My Lord will trouble me.”

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

WHERE WILL WE GO, TODAY?

WHERE WILL WE GO, TODAY?

Sunday, June 21, 2020 – Father’s Day

Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Psalm 86:1-10; Matthew 10:24-39

Today being Fathers’ Day, someone is going to wonder, “John, why in the world did you pick that particular passage of scripture to read, today of all days?”  The answer is: “I did not pick it.”.  Far from it.  In fact, it was selected for us – as the Gospel reading in the Revised Common Lectionary.    It is an extremely odd set of verses for today, when we are honoring our fathers – which (of course) is one of the Ten Commandments, “12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.”

That is a central fixture of our belief.  As it was in Jesus’ day. So when Jesus says, “I have come to set a man against his father…” and, “Whoever loves father and mother more than me,” we wonder: What is Jesus doing?  Is he setting aside the Fifth Commandment?   Or is something else at the core of what he is saying? Does it mean something greater than the Fifth Commandment is now at work in the lives of people who would follow Jesus? let’s try thinking along those lines.  When we do, what emerges?

First, there is that passage about the sparrow.  “His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me”, is how the beloved hymn says it.

Even more, God’s eye is on people.   Jesus calls God, Father.  So, we call God Father too.  We begin The Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father…”  Jesus doesn’t call God “The Sparrow Keeper”.  Like the guy on the rooftop with the cage full of pigeons.  God, caring for and feeding, and training, and letting those birds fly – and when their flight is done, welcoming them home again.  All the time, God’s eye is on them.  But Jesus doesn’t call God The Sparrow-Keeper.  Jesus calls God Father.  It is an even-closer relationship than we might have anticipated. 

God, who cares for those he has made.  God who secures their lives.  God who watches them grow.  God who provides for their needs.   God who tends them when they have broken wings, God who loves them. This Father’s Day, remember: The Father’s eye is on the sparrow. The Father’s eye is on you. 

Jesus says more.  “I have come to set a man against his father…” What does Jesus mean?

Sometimes, as we grow we go in a way that is different from what our father may have had in mind for us.  Whether you say that a person “rebels”, or that a person “finds” her or himself.  Scripture promises “Train up a child in the way that he or she should go and then when they are grown they will not depart from it.”  But –what if a person was raised with no faith, or with wrongly placed faith? And then at some point they came to understand that Jesus is Lord, OF all creation, and of that person’s very own life?  If their father… did not know it, or believe it, or did not want to hear it, who would be the greater authority in that person’s life? It is a real-life dilemma that some of Jesus’ first disciples faced.  

Do I do what I have been taught to do?

or…

Do I do what Jesus calls me to do?

         You may never have had to make that choice.  Your father may have been a deeply-committed Christian.   Who made sure you got to know about Jesus.  Who brought you to church.  Who taught you to pray.  Who set an example for you, of Christian servanthood.  Who lived his faith in such a way that it inspires your own.  So you are not set against your father. You are in synch with your father.   On Father’s Day, just thinking about that is a joy.  I rejoice wish you that is the case.

Apparently, it was not the case for some of Jesus’ listeners.  So, if you had to depart from your father’s beliefs and convictions, in order to be faithful to Jesus – then you have done what they had to do.   You have acted according to what Jesus teaches.

Now it is my sincere hope and prayer that, your father will come around to your own faith understanding.  That Jesus is Lord, and grace is to be found in Him.  Hopefully, these truths will have a warming influence upon your father.    

And then Jesus says, “Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me.”  In other words, “Whoever loves me more than their father and mother, is worthy of me.”  On this Father’s Day, you have memories of growing up, and of your father, that are part of who you are now.   You may do things the way he did them.   You may say things the way he said them.   You may tell his same dad jokes and get the same inordinate amount of pleasure doing so, that he did.  You may do things the way he taught you, from home repairs to driving a car.   You may work hard, like he worked.   You may sacrifice for your children; the way he sacrificed for you. Do you know that in all those ways, you can love Jesus even more?

What Jesus did and said are a part of who you are now.  You do things the way he did them.  You say things the way he said them.  

You may even remember some of his turns of phrase and get the same pleaser saying them that he did. You may do things the way he taught you, even the ordinary stuff of life.  You may work hard like he did.   You may sacrifice for others, the way he sacrificed. On this Father’s Day if you have memories of your father that parallel your love for Jesus, it is good and right that this is so.

When I was a kid and the weekend rolled around, there was something my father used to say that brought joy to my heart, and it still does.  He would look at me and say, “Where will we go, today?” And whatever we did, whether we went to the beach or the store, or the backyard, or just running errands, it was the whole sense of sharing in it that was so very special.

  “Where will we go, today?” Somehow, I can still hear it, and see him smiling when he said it.

“Where will we go, today?” Somehow, I can also hear Jesus saying that.  With a sense of love and joy and anticipation of what will unfold in the nest moment, and the next hour, and throughout the day

“Where will we go, today?” Wherever you go – whatever you and Jesus do – hold before you the wonderful truth that Jesus is sharing it, with you.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

TOUGH TIMES TRAITS

TOUGH TIMES TRAITS

Sunday, June 14, 2020

Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Shadyside Presbyterian Church

Psalm 100; Romans 5:1-8

Paul is speaking from his own life’s story.  Especially as he has learned and grown in the faith.  And from the careful observations and conclusions he made over a lifetime. In which he was no stranger to suffering.  As he says in his second letter to the Corinthians:

         “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches…”

(2 Corinthians 11:23-28)

         When Paul speaks of suffering – he knows where of he speaks.  Robert W. Barbour, a great theologian of the 19^th century, says this: “Perhaps there are comforts and compensations that one who has not suffered knows nothing of – like the lamps that nobody sees till the tunnel comes.”  As we consider what Paul says in Romans, we will be highlighting those various “comforts and compensations”.

In this letter to the Romans, Paul relates that there are things to be gained through suffering.  Not that anyone longs for suffering, but as anyone who has come through many dangers, toils and snares will tell you, they have learned something in the process.  Like my friend Linda Hambleton, who was a juvenile onset diabetic.  And whose struggle with that led to a book called IF TODAY IS ALL I HAVE.  It is a way she made positive meaning out of suffering.  I am sure the writing of it was therapeutic for her.  And I am also sure that it has helped others dealing with those same challenges, and other challenges.  We learn through suffering.  We find that our entire society is learning through the suffering of George Floyd.  Lessons that we may not have known we need to learn.  Anyone who has come through many dangers, toils and snares will tell you, they have learned something in the process. They are older and wiser, more in touch with the realities of the human condition, and more alert to the wonders and beauty of creation, than they were before.  They have a keen sense that time itself is precious, and the people who share life’s journey, are dearer still.

Paul was not the first, nor the last, to say there can be value in suffering.  Viktor Frankl has said: “If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering.  Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as (is) death. Without suffering and death, human life cannot be complete.” (Viktor E. Frankl).  The Bible shows us that suffering – hard times – come to everyone.  Songwriters sing of it.  Amy Grant sings:

“Hard times come to everyone

Hard times come

Hard times come

And they'll come till we're done.”

And there’s the lament of the song by Pittsburgh’s own Stephen Collins Foster:

“'Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,

Hard Times, hard times, come again no more.

Many days you have lingered around my cabin door;

Oh! Hard times come again no more.”

Paul indicates that… It is how we deal with suffering that sets us apart.  Suffering quite possibly helps us to become wiser, and more compassionate.  It may also produce in us a desire to help others, to change society, and to bring about a better world.  As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observes: “human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” 

Are you dealing with a season of suffering now?  Do you have unhappy residual memories of a season of suffering from your past?  Are you wondering the whys and wherefores of that season of suffering? Consider this:  A season of suffering may produce a lifetime of service.  A season of suffering, like a bleak winter, may bring about a season of new growth, and a bountiful harvest.  Suffering should not make us bitter people, it should make us better people: Better listeners.  Better advocates. Better comforters.

Paul says that suffering produces endurance –inner strength that is proven or shown over time. It is a factor of time.  It is also a factor of distance.  If you go in search of endurance records…they have to do with both.  For instance, the flight endurance record is the longest amount of time an aircraft of a particular category spent in flight, without landing.  That is a perfect way to think of endurance, even when our feet are on the ground.  We travel a great distance over a long period, without relief, or resolution.  We bear up against the odds. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to do that. Even when things are at their worst.

Suffering produces endurance.  Endurance produces character –Integrity.  Solid and steady. It is like a patina on a fine old piece of furniture.  Character shows.  It is hard to create something brand new that has immediate character.  It takes time.  “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved,” says Helen Keller

Character produces hope.  Hope is one of Paul’s big three.  Remember he says:  Faith, hope, and love endure.  The hope that you have within you surpasses any trouble, trial, or tragedy. Sometimes, in ways that surprises others. Sometimes in ways that surprise even us.  In spite of the bald facts of the matter.  We hope, because god has set within our hearts, a vision of what will be.  Like a lighthouse sending forth its light in the storms and darkness, we steer our lives toward it. 

Someone will say, “That is all very well and good for us, here today.  But what about the people we have lost?  People who have gone from us?”  I have an answer from a friend in the faith.  Not someone I know, but someone whose thoughts are with us when we ask this question.  It is Benjamin Jowett, (1817-1893); Master of Baliol College, Oxford.  Here is what he says:

“We acknowledge that there are broken lives, piece of lives which began in this world, to be completed, as we believe, in another state of being.  And some of them have been like fragments of ancient art, which we prize not for their completeness, but for their quality which we can hardly see anywhere upon earth.  Of such lives, we must judge, no by what the person said, or wrote, or did in the short span of human existence, but what they were.  If they exercised some peculiar influence on society, and on friends, if they had some rare grace of humility, or simplicity, or resignation, or love of truth, or devotion, which was not to be met within other. God does not measure lives only by the amount of work which is accomplished in them.    There have been persons confined to a bed of sickness, blind, tormented with pain and want, who yet may be said to have led an almost perfect life.  Such persons afford examples to us of a work, whether finished or unwished, which at any moment is acceptable to God.   And we desire to learn of them, and to have an end like theirs, when the active work of life is over, and we sit patiently waiting for the will of God.”   (Quoted in A Diary of Readings, compiled by John Baillie, day 358)

Hope does not disappoint us.  God brings to fulfillment everything that God begins.  “Suffering is part of the divine idea,” says the noted preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. The centerpiece of the message of Jesus has to do with suffering. Without suffering, there would be no cross.  Without suffering there would be no tomb. Without suffering there would be no resurrection.   The entire journey from mortality to immortally is through suffering. You cannot make some sort of pious pole-vault over pain, trouble, illness, and death.  You have to walk the lonesome valley Jesus walked, before you can walk beside the still waters and in the green pastures.  It is by suffering that we become heirs of the grace of life.  Or as Victor Hugo says, “It is by suffering that human beings become angels.”

In Christ may it be so.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

Pastors' Message in These Anxious Days

The pastors of Shadyside Presbyterian Church are profoundly dismayed by the tragic murder of George Floyd. We stand with our Lord Jesus Christ and in unity with all who honor all persons and seek their well-being. We stand opposed to any form of hatred, prejudice, or racial injustice. We pray for the world, for our society, and for all who live in fear because of the cruelty of others. We pray that all will hear with compassion, and that our wounded nation might be changed in ways that are in accord with the love and grace to be found in Christ. Grant us healing. Grant us hope – in these days and in all our days.

THE GREAT ONE IN THREE

THE GREAT ONE IN THREE

June 7, 2020 – Trinity Sunday

Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Psalm 8; Matthew 28:16-20

Here is a mountain top moment in the lives of the disciples. Few of us live on the mountains. Even here in Western Pennsylvania where there are plenty of them to choose from.  Some weeks, it feels as if we are living in the trenches.  But we savor mountaintop moments, they stand out from the rest, they are formative.  They define who we are.  They shape our future.  They grant us confidence for today.

They went to Galilee, and to the mountain, because Jesus had directed them. Directions are important in life.  On a journey or on the journey of life. It all depends, on who is giving the directions.

When it is Christ, the second person of the Trinity.  The directions – are from God.

This past week has been a time for many to ponder the question, “I wish God would tell me what to do.”  The killing of George Floyd is a national tragedy and a societal disgrace.  What happened to George Floyd has reopened a painful wound in our country that has never healed.  We are heavy in heart.  We know that our society is in need of healing change.  A bridging of the divides that separate.  The establishment of trust.  We may be able to find direction in our scripture today. This particular passage from Matthew. In which we find almighty and divine direction for the disciple’s lives.  And direction for our own. If you have been thinking about what God wants you to do, then this passage is for you.  It invites you to engage your life with God’s purpose.  It says that Jesus directed them, and because He directed them, they went.

I recall asking my stepdad about his service in the South Pacific during World War II. He was in the Navy.  It was a challenging time.  He had enlisted.  When I asked him about why he went, he said, “Because my President asked me.” He put tremendous value on FDR as our nation’s leader. Even as Christians put great value in Christ, our leader.

“I did this because my Jesus asked me,” is a clear description of the why and the what of our life of faith.  The authority of Jesus is first and foremost.  Let Jesus direct you.  Then, do as he directs.

Did you notice that the eleven worshiped him – but some doubted?  We would like to know which ones were among the doubters.  But Matthew doesn’t say. That’s good. It allows room for us to doubt and wonder, and reflect and ponder.  All of them, important to the growth of our faith.

Any shared enterprise has those who are on the forefront.  Those who are convinced of what is happening.  Before others are even aware.  And then there are those who need a bit more convincing.  The honest doubters.  One of those eleven on the mountain was Thomas – famous for having been among the honest doubters.  The ones who aren’t there just yet.  The Risen Christ convinced Thomas of the truth of the resurrection, and the imperative of spreading the good news.  Church tradition has it that after that, Thomas went from doubt to laboring far afield – all the way to India – to proclaim Christ as Lord.

That is how it is. Honest doubters who see and believe – are often the most engaged of all who work for a particular cause. Do not become discouraged if you are an honest doubter.  Let there be room for the Holy Spirit to be at work in you.

Evelyn Underhill, whose book Mysticism is a Christian classic, says:  “On every level of life, from housework to heights of prayer, in all judgment and efforts to get things done, hurry and impatience are sure marks of the amateur.”

To those who are not doubters:  Please learn – you can help others catch up with you.  To help them see Christ.  To know his truth.  To let it rule their lives.

If you had been among the eleven there on that mountain that day, you would have received your assignment for life. Your reason for being: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,” is about as inclusive as you can get. There is not one nation left out. Nowhere will you find Jesus saying: “Go therefore and make disciples of some, but not of others.” The message of the Gospel is to include, not exclude. The message of the Gospel bridges boundaries.  In a world that seems to thrive on choosing sides, and pitting one group against another, and acting out of prejudice and fear, those eleven disciples and those they managed to reach were to be different.  They knew that we cannot judge the human heart. Only God can do that. And the history of the faithful is all about divisions coming down. And people ministering together.  And upbuilding one another.  And serving not the forces of intolerance, but the one eternal God, who is love, and kindness, and grace.

You may know about Latasha Morrison, and you may have read her book, “Be the Bridge”.  I hope you have.  Here is something she says in that book and lives in her life.  It is entirely in keeping with what those first eleven disciples set out to do:

“In the love of the family of God, we must become color brave, color caring, color honoring – and not color blind. We have to recognize the image of God in one another. We have to love, despite – and even because of – our differences.”

The word “disciple” occurs 269 times in the New Testament.  

It is that important.  A disciple: follows Jesus.   “Come and follow me…”).   A disciple: is changed by Jesus. (“I will make you…”).  A disciple: shares the mission of Jesus (“…Fishers of people”).  If we consider ourselves as the descendants of the first eleven disciples, then what does this commission say to us?  The threefold goal is this:

To make disciples – who can continue to make disciples. To baptize them in the name of the Great One in Three, the Father, and the Son, and  the Holy Spirit.  To teach them to obey everything that Christ has commanded us. 

When a Christian is faithful, she or he will ask: “How am I accomplishing the commission of my Lord?”  When a church is faithful, it will ask, “How are we doing the things Christ commissioned us to do?”  

It is like this:

A middle-aged man turned to some people he trusted, so that they would to make a home for him.  The first home he had ever owned in his life.  They did it. As they began they asked him if there were any colors he did not like.  He answered that he was color blind.  And he didn’t like the color orange. The funny thing is, he was wearing a shirt that was blue and orange plaid. He just didn’t see it.

They went on and created a great first ever home for him.  And when the big reveal came, he toured it with them, and marveled at how perfectly suited to him it was. When they had toured the house, they went out on the back porch.  And then the couple gave him a gift.  A pair of glasses that address being color blind. 

And then, he went inside and was filled with astonishment and amazement.  Because he was seeing it again, as if for the first time.  He was no longer color blind.  He was color brave, color caring, color honoring – and not color blind. 

We can grow into being color brave.  We can grow into being color caring.  We can grow into being color honoring.  Not color blind.

Christ has a work for you to do. You can know that as you share the faith, you will become more brave, and caring, and honoring of all people. Hear Jesus saying, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” As we go into the world, we are not alone.  God is at work.  God is saving and restoring.  God is sustaining and renewing. Whoever we are, God is with us in Jesus, through the Holy Spirit to the end of the age.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.

HOW IS IT THAT WE HEAR?

HOW IS IT THAT WE HEAR?

A Sermon by The Rev. Dr. John A. Dalles

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b; Acts 2:1-21

If you are good at languages, you are fascinated by this event.  Here is a virtual summary of the languages of the eastern Mediterranean, and what was once called Mesopotamia.  Their religion was – the Jewish faith of the Old Testament.  Yet, they were as diverse as the people after the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel.  Suddenly, they heard, each one, in their own language… the news about Jesus and his great love.

If you are NOT good at languages, you are even more fascinated by this event.  It would be like a gathering of people from Western PA suddenly speaking all the languages of the people at the General Assembly of the United Nations, and without the need for headphones.

Did you know that 88.98% of Pittsburgh residents speak only English?  Now, there is another 11.02% wo speak other languages.  From Afrikaans and Albanian, to Vietnamese and Yiddish – and even that one particular language that is spoken nowhere else on the planet: Pittsburghese, (if ynz will pardon the expression, n’at). 

How is it that we hear...?  The phenomenon of Pentecost gave the church a reach beyond one culture.  Suddenly, by God’s initiative, the disciples of our Lord, were filled with the Holy Spirit, so they could share the Gospel beyond themselves.  It would be marvelous, wouldn’t it?  To be able to speak in other languages?...  Without taking any classes, or reading textbooks, or suffering the challenges of pop quizzes.

How do we hear what God has to say?  What are the secrets of that great blessing?

We hear because God wants us to hear.  God brings the message to us.  It may come – as it did on the first Pentecost – through unlikely agents.  Humble fishermen and backwater people who hailed from the equivalent of the hills and hollows of West Virginia.  We might not expect such people to have anything to say to us.  We would be wrong.

God can use whom god may choose to convey the message of grace.  The people who heard on that Pentecost, had not awakened that morning thinking – “Today I am going to hear a message from God.”  The event of Pentecost tells us that God can break into our ordinary routine with extraordinary power.  God has been doing it all along.  

We remember that Moses was tending his father in law’s sheep – minding his own business, when God spoke from the bush that burned but was not consumed.  On Pentecost, flames appeared again, God spoke, anew.  When God speaks, People listen.

How is it that we hear? We hear because God wants us to hear.  We also hear what God wants us to hear. The Pentecost message was unlike any other. The promised Messiah had come, in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.   He communicated what God is like.   He spoke words of insight, and blessing, with authority. His words were confirmed in his work. Teaching, caring, healing, enraging with people in their hardest struggles. Suffering and dying, and being raised to new life.  Promising this to all who believe.

The world of medicine will tell us that hearing depends on a series of complex steps that change sound waves in the air into electrical signals. These sound waves enter the outer ear and travel through a narrow passageway - the ear canal - which leads to the eardrum. The eardrum vibrates from the incoming sound waves and a combination of mechanical and electrical and fluid processes cause chemicals to rush into the cells, creating an electrical signal. The auditory nerve carries this electrical signal to the brain, which turns it into a sound that we recognize and understand.

From the mouths of the first followers of Jesus, to the ears of the next followers of Jesus – the entire process depends upon God, who created us, and gave us the gift of perceiving and understanding sound.

On the first Pentecost, the miracle of hearing was amplified by this new miracle of comprehension. The word began to spread. And it has been spreading ever since.

This Pentecost morning, I am glad you can hear me.  And I am glad you can understand what I am saying.  But on this Sunday, as on every Sunday, that is only part of the process.   We depend on the real, but usually unseen, presence of God’s Holy Spirit, to convey what God wants conveyed.  We all depend on the power of the Holy Spirit to make that wonderful connection between the message – and its meaning for us today, for our world, for our intentions, and for our future.  With the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the word becomes a ministry of limitless power.  

“All of that is well and good,” someone will say, “but what if I haven’t been hearing anything lately?”  What if?  It may be that a person has forgotten to listen. ‘Thinking about other things, or nothing at all.  Distracted.  Convinced that God is not interested in speaking to them.  They say: “God has more important things to do than speak with me.” Or, “I am probably not worthy of God bothering with me.”   Don’t let those thoughts guide your ways.  God cares so much for you, it is as if you are the only person on this earth.  No one is a bother to Jesus. If you have not heard, do not be discouraged.  Trust that God has a desire to speak to you – and will – just when and how God sees fit. In a way that you will understand. In a way that will cause your faith to deepen, and strengthen.

This Pentecost moment, can happen at any moment.  Bringing something marvelous to hear, and something wonderful to tell: the wonders of God, in ways we can hear, and understand. In Christ may it be so.  Amen.

This is an original sermon by The Rev. D. John A. Dalles, Interim Senior Minister and Head of Staff of Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, PA .  It was delivered on the date indicated in the text. You are encouraged to read it and reflect upon it.  Please keep in mind that the sermon is Copyright © 2020 John A. Dalles.  Permission from the author is required to reproduce it in any fashion.