Friday, April 29, 2016

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground, See, here is what belongs to you.’

“His master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvested where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then,. You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“’Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside. Into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’"

- Matthew 25:14-30

As we come to the end of a week thinking about the “Parable of the Talents," I have to admit that for many years this parable bothered me. It bothered me that the one talent servant was judged so harshly after playing it safe with his master’s money. I think it bothered me because, by my personality, I tend to be a bit conservative and “risk-averse.” It also bothered me that his one talent was taken away and given to the ten talent servant. Not only did it seem a little harsh, it didn’t seem fair!  It bothered me, that is, until I met a guy named “Randy.”

I met Randy almost 30 years ago on a short term mission trip in rural Mexico. I was leading a group of high school students from FBCG and Randy was with a team of young adults from Colorado. We were all serving together in a rural project for an organization called “Food for the Hungry.” Randy was about 25 years old and suffered from cerebral palsy. He was bright and loved Jesus, but he was limited by his disability. He used crutches and had to have someone help him get around. I remember wondering why he decided to come on this kind of trip because he kind of slowed everyone else down. We were digging irrigation ditches in a field to prepare for the planting of a crop of corn and beans. But Randy couldn’t do that kind of work because of his limited mobility. He spent the week putting a handful of soil and seeds in little plastic bags so that they could be planted once we had prepared the field. But after four of five days of that, Randy got bored. He wanted to be out in the field digging with the rest of us.

On the next to the last day of the trip, Randy talked a group member into carrying a chair out to the field for him. Randy dragged himself by his crutches to the ditch we were digging. Randy’s leader, a guy named Kent, was frustrated with Randy for coming out into the field because it put him at risk for falling and hurting himself. But Randy ignored Kent’s glare and sat in his chair on the edge of the irrigation ditch and asked for a pickaxe. He took it in his strong arms and flung it into the ditch to dig. On his second attempt, the power of his swing threw his whole body off the chair and into the ditch headfirst. Kent and I ran to Randy’s aid. After we pulled him up out of the ditch, Kent said, “Randy, what in the world are you doing!??” Randy smiled a big toothy grin - I’ll never forget it - and said, “I’m just having fun serving Jesus, Kent.  What are you doing?”

I have thought about Randy often over the years. He wasn’t a five talent guy, he wasn’t a two talent guy, we didn’t think he was even a one talent guy. But what he had, he invested with passion and joy for Jesus. Oh, that I would do the same!

Ask Jesus how you might more boldly invest your time, talents, and treasure in His eternal kingdom!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, April 28, 2016

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground, See, here is what belongs to you.’

- Matthew 25:14-30

Have you ever offered a lame excuse for failing to do something you know you were supposed to do? Something like, “The dog ate my homework,” or “The sun got in my eyes,” or “I was just driving the speed of traffic!” Most of us have, but perhaps the lamest and saddest excuse in the whole Bible is right here in this parable.

The master in Jesus’ story has invested significant resources as well as trust in three servants. Two of these servants go out and re-invest these resources and double their master’s investment. But the third servant, who had received just one talent or money, played it safe, burying the money in the ground.

When his master returns and it’s time to settle accounts, this servant sees that the five-talent servant now has ten talents to offer his master and the two talent servant has four talents. And he realizes that he has failed to do anything with the gift he was given. So, instead of confessing his fear and laziness, he decides to try to blame his failure on his master. He says, in effect, “Because you are such a cruel and vindictive taskmaster, I did the only prudent thing and buried your money in the ground.” In other words, he makes his master responsible for his own failure, and in so doing, he demonstrates an almost breathtaking misunderstanding of his master’s nature.

Imagine blaming your credit problems on a boss that pays you too much, or a speeding ticket on a dad who gave you a car for graduation! The one talent servant essentially blames his master for his own laziness. I wonder how often I might do the same thing without recognizing it. Do I ever say to myself, “Well, I would give more if I had more,” or “I would read the Bible more if I had more time,” or “I would spend more time with my family if the kids didn’t fight so much!?”  When I allow myself to say or think such things, I am actually blaming God for my own laziness, disobedience, or both!

The sad thing is, if the one talent servant had simply admitted his failure and asked for forgiveness, his master most certainly would have gladly offered him a second chance.

Thank God for the many gifts He has placed in your life and for the greatest gift of His forgiving love!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

“After a long time the master of these servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see I have gained two more.’

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!

- Matthew 25:14-30

My teacher in 6^th grade was Mr. Cundari. He was the first male teacher I had in school.  And while he could be tough on us (he used to make us write out a whole page of our history textbook if we misbehaved. I can still remember the page about “The Island of Formosa”.), I liked him because he let us play softball at recess. He was also the high school basketball coach in our town and I used to go to those games and dream about someday playing ball for Coach Cundari.

That year our gym teacher organized an intramural basketball tournament between the boys of all the different sixth grade classes. We didn’t have coaches.  We just kind of organized ourselves in the chaotic way sixth grade boys do that sort of thing. My team made it to the championship game, which was held at lunch time in front of the whole student body. I remember the game started poorly for us. We were behind at one point 9-0 and things looked grim. But then I called a timeout and told my teammates that for the rest of the game we would apply a full court press, I did NOT want to lose that game in front of all those kids! We went out and scored something like 19 points in a row and won the sixth grade intramural championship. But what I remember most is walking off after the game and seeing Mr. Cundari step out of the bleachers and stick his hand out, As he shook my hand, he said, “Good job.” And I remembered seeing him do the same thing to his players after the high school varsity games. “Good job.” Just two words, but I have remembered them for over 45 years!

Jesus is teaching us that God is not only the God of the generous gift, but He is also the God of the settled account. At the end of this earthly life, the God who created us and invested us with His own resources will hold each of us accountable for what we have done with His resources. Now, it’s important to say that Jesus is not talking about salvation here. Salvation is a gift from God; we receive it by grace through faith. We can never earn or deserve it! But the Bible indicates that Jesus will indeed reward those who have been faithful in service and obedience. While we do not fully know what that reward will be (perhaps certain kinds of service in heaven), we do know that the first words we want to hear from our Master as He welcomes us into His eternal kingdom are, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Ask the Lord to remind you often to live with His reward in mind!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”

- Matthew 25:14-30

Several years ago, I came across the story of a man named Leopoldo Pujals. Mr. Pujals grew up in South Florida, the son of a Cuban immigrant family. He spent many years trying to climb the corporate ladder at Johnson & Johnson and wound up selling surgical equipment in Spain. While in Spain, he noticed the rising popularity of fast food as well as the cultural shift of more and more women entering the work force. Becoming somewhat frustrated with his “dead end” job, he eventually decided to invest his entire life savings to open a pizza delivery business called “Tele-pizza.” His vision was to make it easy for women to use the telephone to call and order food delivered straight to their home instead of having to cook after a long day at work. Ten years later, “Tele-pizza” was opening a new store every three days, and Pujals' investment of $100,000 had become $665 million.

Few of us experience the financial success of a Leopoldo Pujals, but like Mr. Pujals, we are all in the investment business! That is, we all make decisions every day about how and where we will invest the precious resources of our time, our talent, our treasure – and our lives. We make choices, consciously or unconsciously, to invest ourselves in work, in family relationships, in entertainment, in hobbies, in community service, in our church, and in a thousand other ways. Some of those investments are here today and gone tomorrow with nothing gained. And some of them are multiplied many times over and actually have an eternal return. The trick, of course, is to know which is which!

Jesus is teaching us that the Master wants us to invest His resources both boldly and wisely. He wants us invest in that which is precious to Him and that which will produce an eternal return in His kingdom. Ask the Lord to help you review your own personal and spiritual “investment strategy.” Are you investing your life both boldly and wisely in the things that Jesus would hold most precious? Are you building a legacy that will far outlive your own life? Ask Him to help you so orient your priorities so that He will be pleased with the return on His investment in you!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Monday, April 25, 2016

“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.” Matthew 25:14-30

I remember an old black and white television show called The Millionaire. From what I can remember, the show started the same way every week: a very wealthy man (whose face you never saw) would write a check for $1,000,000 and give it to his assistant with instructions to deliver it to someone he had identified as needy or deserving in some way, and who had no idea the gift was coming. Then the rest of the episode would follow the story of the unsuspecting recipient of the millionaire’s gift – what they did with the money and what the money, at times, did to them.

I can remember wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such a gift. I’m sure I had no idea how much a million dollars was, but I was pretty sure it was more than my allowance!

In this parable, Jesus is telling a similar story, only the “master” is not an anonymous millionaire, but God himself. And we are the recipients of His generosity.

“Hold on just second,” you might say. “Where is my million bucks?” While it is true that a “talent” in Jesus’ day was a very large amount of money (actually a weight of silver), the truth is that God has entrusted each of us with all kinds of gifts and resources.

We have received what I would call “personal gifts”: life, health, intelligence, the ability to taste chocolate chip cookies, hear music, and smell the sweet spring air. We have received “relational gifts”: the love and joy of family and friends. We have received “material gifts”: houses, cars, clothes, computers, iPods, iPads, and all manner of stuff. And, if we have become followers of Jesus by faith, we have received “spiritual gifts”; that is, the Holy Spirit has enabled us to minister to others in the name and power of Christ.

We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of other, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.

Romans 12:6-8

Most of us, I think, tend to resist the idea that we are “gifted” or “talented.” We like to think of superstars like LeBron James or Luciano Pavarotti as gifted or talented and ourselves as just “normal folks.” But the truth is that we are all gifted! We might be a five-talent person or a two-talent person or a one-talent person, but the Master has invested His own resources in each one of us. And the only question is whether we will recognize and use the gifts He has given.

Take a few moments to consider the “giftedness” of your own life and ask God to keep you from comparing yourself to those whom you may see as more talented than yourself. Instead, celebrate and use the gifts He has given!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Friday, April 22, 2016

Revelation 19:6-9

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Years ago I heard author and speaker Brennan Manning tell a story that I have remembered ever since. He told of growing up in a very dysfunctional home – a home in which love had to be earned by good behavior. But because his parents both struggled with alcoholism, he never knew when he had been good enough to receive their love. He told of a time when, as a young boy, he won some sort of contest. His parents were happy, so they threw a party in his honor – but they invited all their adult friends. Of course, he was very excited to be the focal point of a party – so he behaved as any excited young boy might behave. At some point during the party, his parents decided he was attracting too much attention to himself by his behavior so they banished him to his room for the rest of his party. As he lay in his bed with his party hat on his head – he suddenly had the thought that since he had been so naughty, his parents would soon come into his room and take his party hat away from him. So he hid his party hat under the pillow and decided that when they came to take it, he would lie to them and tell them he didn’t know where it was. Many years later, as he worked through his own struggles with alcohol and depression, Manning recalled this incident with a wise counselor. The counselor encouraged him to “re-live” the story of the party hat – only this time to imagine that it would be Jesus – and not his parents – that came into the room. As Manning once again experienced the shame of being punished at his own party, he also imagined Jesus coming into his room. Jesus said, “Hi Brennan, where’s your party hat?” “It’s under my pillow,” the little boy, now a man, replied. Jesus said, “Take out your party hat and put it on again.” Brennan said, “But I was going to lie to my parents.” Jesus said, “Don’t worry about that now; put on your party hat – and I’m never going to let anyone take it away!” With that, Manning said, he felt Jesus reach under his pillow, take out the party hat, and place it gently on his head.

This is a story about love; it’s a story about joy; it’s a story about grace; it’s a story about two lost sons, and, perhaps most importantly, it’s a story about each one of us!

The younger brother in Jesus’ story lost his party hat when he wound up feeding pigs. The older brother refused to wear his party hat because he didn’t think his younger brother deserved a hat as much as he did. In the end, their father offered them both brand new party hats – not because they deserved them at all – but because his grace was greater than their sin!

Whether you have spent your life to this point as a rebellious younger brother; as a prideful, resentful older bother; or as a little of both – Jesus is saying that there is a party hat with your name on it! And he wants you to allow him to put it on your head so that you can join the party he is throwing for you!

Pastor Brian Coffey

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Isaiah 25: 6-12

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.

On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

We’ve all seen images, heard news reports, and read terrible stories after natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes. In one short-lived super storm, hundreds might die; thousands might be left homeless; and millions of lives may be changed forever--in the course of a 30 minutes. Events like this illicit two reactions: Firsts, we find ourselves asking, ”Why does God allow such suffering in the world he created?” Second, we sense deep in our souls that things are not as they should be – that something is broken in our world – and we long for the day when things will be made right again.

While there is no easy answer to the question of human suffering, the Bible does indicate that God is not the author of sin, pain and death. The Book of Job teaches us that Satan is the enemy of God who desires to destroy everything God made as good – including us. In his sovereignty, God has, for his own reasons and purposes, allowed Satan certain limited freedom to “roam the earth” wreaking havoc and inflicting pain and suffering. The Bible teaches that God entered into the human experience through Jesus – and that Jesus endured all the pain, suffering, temptation and death that Satan could dish out – in order to provide forgiveness, redemption and hope for each one of us. The whole Bible resonates with the great promise that one day God is going to destroy his enemy, and deliver his people and his world from the “shroud that enfolds all people.”

Notice that the celebration of God’s ultimate deliverance of his people is expressed in the language of a feast!  

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.

The imagery of a feast is a theme that is repeated often throughout the Bible. The ancient Israelites celebrated many different feasts as part of their worship and remembrance of God’s goodness. It was during a celebration of the Passover Feast that Jesus first used the broken bread and poured cup to symbolize his body and blood. And the book of Revelation speaks of heaven itself as the “Wedding Supper of the Lamb.”

We don’t use the word “feast” so much in our modern culture – but I think we know what it means. We celebrate many of the significant moments of life – graduations, birthdays, weddings, and retirements – with dinners, banquets and parties. We celebrate by gathering together with the people we love and sharing food, drink, love and laughter – by feasting together!

For now we live in a world that is broken by sin and death. For now the enemy of God has limited authority to inflict pain and suffering. But this is not the end of the story! The story will end with a feast, a celebration, a party thrown by our God himself! And it will be a celebration of such joy that all the sufferings of this world will simply fade into nothingness by comparison.

Some derisively call this “pie in the sky” thinking. I call it hope.

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

John 15:9-11

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Back in the 1980’s (for those of you who can remember ancient history), a pop music star named Huey Lewis had a hit song entitled, “The Power of Love.” The lyrics included the line, “The power of love is a curious thing.” Now, of course, Mr. Lewis was talking about romantic love rather than a spiritual love – yet it remains true that love is a powerful and curious thing.

The parable we have been studying – the parable of the father and his two lost sons (as I like to call it) – is a story about the power of love. The father in Jesus’ story is “prodigal” in his love for his two sons. That is, he is extravagant and even prodigious in his love for his sons – despite their rejection of his love. The younger son basically treats his father as if he has already died in asking for his inheritance early. The older son accuses him of being a slave-driver as well as a fool for allowing his younger brother to come home. Both have spit in the father’s face and broken his heart, yet his love for them never changes. They can choose to accept and trust his love – to remain in his love – or to reject that love and run from it.

The younger son mistakes his father’s love for “control” – and chooses to run as far from it as he possibly can. The older brother mistakes his father’s love for a “business transaction” – as a reward for his faithful service – and he resents his father for offering love to his wayward younger brother. Both, for different reasons, have failed to remain in their father’s love.

Jesus’ choice of words in this passage from John 15 is very important. It’s easy for us to assume that obedience is how we earn God’s love – for so often, in our human experience, love is granted on the condition of obedience. But that’s not what Jesus is saying. He is saying that God’s love for him – and for us – is unconditional. God’s love is a gift that is offered to us freely. Our obedience is what allows us to remain in his love. The father never stopped loving the younger son – but the younger son rebelled against his rather and ran off to the far country – where he no longer knew his father’s love. The father never stopped loving the older brother – but the older brother grew resentful and therefore ceased to know his father’s love.

The younger son does not re-discover his father’s love until he comes home prepared to become nothing more than a servant – but then is shocked when his father gives him the finest robe, a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet – indicating that he has been reinstated as a son. And it is the power of this unconditional, unchanging and undeserved love that ultimately transforms the younger son’s life.

This is what the older son fails to understand. The love of the father comes first – and obedience second – not the other way around.

“This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loves us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins…We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:10,19 

Pastor Brian Coffey

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

"Then he said, There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Father, I want right now what's coming to me.'” Luke 15:12-12 (The Message)

"Give me."  Throughout life, our human nature seems to scream out, "give me!" Our hyperspeed technological society wants everything "right now." We crave the instant gratification of our desires. Our entire culture is set up this way; drive thru windows, ATMs, one hour photos, same day shipping, quick loans, with the click of a button (or a touch screen) we can have access to just about anything and everything.  But have you noticed the more quickly you are satisfied, the faster you lose that joy?  Instant gratification is almost like a drug. "Quick - give me another fix!"

This condition of the human heart is not new, it goes back all the way to the beginning.  In Genesis 3:1-6 we read about how this selfish impatience first appeared; 

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman,  “Did God really say,  ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent,  “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say,  ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman.  “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

The serpent said to the woman (in effect) “Why wait, why follow such restrictive rules?  You can have all that you want right now.”  The sad irony is that God does want us to become like Him (Eph. 4:24), but not by demanding it or taking it for ourselves.  There are no shortcuts to God’s blessings!

I know a man who is a real estate appraiser. He has the unique opportunity to go into people's homes and meet a wide cross section of people in his community. From the seemingly wealthy to struggling laborers, he has seen the consequences of the "quick fix" attitude of instant gratification in some of these homes. (Of course, not all home loan situations are bad.)  He has told me of how he witnessed the damage done to families by the "give it to me now" attitude; the abuse of credit cards and easy loans can be devastating.  My friend told me that the hardest part of his job is doing an appraisal on a repossessed home where children's toys are still lying around the house.  He told me that he can see the despair in some people's eyes as he enters their homes.   He listens as they tell him that their home has to appraise for "this much" so that they can pay off their five or six credit cards that are up to the limits.  More often than not, the home loan is not enough to cover the credit card and finance company debt.

The Prodigal Son story is just as relevant to the condition of the human heart today as it was over two thousand years ago.  The son is saying to his father, "give it to me now!  Give me right now, what is going to be mine later."  His impatience and demand for instant gratification eventually leads him to a place of utter brokenness and despair (sin always does).  Our sinful human natures drive us like that.  It's the "when and then" attitude.  When I get that promotion, then we will be set. When we get into that new house,then we will have made it.  As Christians, we know the only thing humans really need is a gift that is free.  Our problem is accepting the gift and using the power of the gift.  A relationship with Christ is the craving we really seek; it is a desire that will never be filled by anything or anyone else.

The prodigal had the same attitude. "Father, give me what is mine now, and leave me alone to live my own life!" 

Lord help us to get out of the "give me" mode and into the "take me" mode with You! 

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Monday, April 18, 2016

Now the tax collectors and “sinners” were all gathering around to hear him.  But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered,  “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable:  “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?  And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says,  ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’  I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.  “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says,  ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’  In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” 

Luke 15:1-10

It is easy to overlook the fact that before Jesus tells the famous parable of the Prodigal Son, He tells these two other shorter parables about lost things that become found; the lost sheep and the lost coin.  It is very interesting that of all of the animals that Jesus could have chosen for His parable, He chose sheep; not a dog, or a pig, or a monkey, or a peacock, it was a lost sheep.

There is something unusual about sheep. Unlike other animals they do not often deliberately run away.  A dog who wants to be free, given a chance, will bolt out of the yard at the first opportunity.  A horse or cow will do the same.  But sheep do not.  They only wander away, they do not mean to.  They just drift away without realizing it.  Thus Jesus has deliberately chosen an animal which represents people who are lost, but who never intended to be lost.  They never meant to be, and they don't know how it happened.  Without ever meaning to they wander off and suddenly find themselves lost, and they do not know how it happened.

Phillip Keller in his little book, A Shepherd looks At Psalm 23, says that you can watch a sheep get himself lost.  He is with the flock at first.  Then he sees some grass a few paces away that looks good to him so he goes over and begins to nibble.  Then he sees some more grass a few steps away and he moves a little further and then a little further.  He is concerned only about the immediate, and, little by little, he is drawn away without realizing it.  Suddenly he looks around for the flock, and finds they are nowhere in sight.  He begins to bleat and run around, but he does not know in which direction to go, nor how to hide - so he panics, he runs in circles.  Every shepherd knows that a sheep in that condition is utterly helpless.

This is the picture that Jesus gives us of what it means to be spiritually lost.  There are millions of people living for the moment, moving from one experience to another, without considering where they are really headed or why.  Eventually, they look around at their life and think to themselves, “Where am I?  How did I get here?”

Now one of the keys to grasping Jesus’ meaning in this parable is to reflect on how the shepherd responds to his lost sheep.  He left the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and went after the one.  That is most significant. It pictures the activity of God, as expressed in the person of the Lord Jesus himself. He left something to come and find us.  As Paul states it so beautifully in the letter to the Philippians, he did not count the fact that he was equal with God a thing to be held on to, but instead emptied himself, took upon himself the form of a servant, and was found in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6-7). He left, and he came. You can see how beautifully this is fulfilled in our Lord's own ministry.

A wonderful example of this is how Jesus dealt with his Disciple named Matthew. Remember that Matthew was a tax collector. He belonged to this crowd of extortionists who made their living by overcharging taxpayers (see yesterday’s devotion).  He was one of the outsiders of society.  He had full pockets, but an empty heart.  But one day there stood before him a man whom he had seen and heard speaking, this man from Galilee, this stranger from Nazareth.  Suddenly the man turned and looked at him, sitting there behind his table, with all his money around him.  Those eyes looked into his eyes, and Matthew heard him speaking to him.  He could not believe it - that this man, who was obviously a prophet, should speak to him, an untouchable tax collector!  To his astonishment he heard Jesus say, "Follow me," (Matthew 9:9). And Matthew just left all the money, stood up, and followed him.  What he did next has always fascinated me. He came to Jesus and said, "Master, I have made a feast in my house for all my friends. Would you come?"  And Jesus went.  He went because there were gathered all the tax collectors that Matthew knew, ready to listen to him as he reached out to find these outsiders who were lost in the midst of their own wealth.

The final key to this parable is how the shepherd reacts once the lost sheep is recovered – he celebrates!  This reveals the value that God sets on lost men and women.  They are not worthless in his sight.  They are not written off, nor neglected.  They are made in his image. Therefore they are of unspeakable value to God.  They bear his own mark, marred, defiled, and ruined as that image may be, and he longs to find them and reach them and restore them!

So Jesus, in effect, turns the objection of the Pharisees around on them.  The question is not why does Jesus eat with Tax-Collectors and sinners?  The question is why don’t you?

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Friday, April 15, 2016

Today I want to focus on how this remarkable story of the Prodigal Son is really about the one who told it--it is all about Jesus!  Let’s look at just how Jesus Himself is the central theme of His own parable.

Throughout this story, Jesus repeatedly (and subtly) puts Himself in the place of the father.  The father is the one who pursues each of his rebellious sons.  He runs down the road to meet his younger son while he is still a long way off, and he goes out to plead with his older son to come in to the celebration feast.  This is precisely what Jesus says that He came to do for the world.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”    – Luke 19:10

“I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.”       –   John 10:16

When the younger brother returns home and the father kills the fattened calf and throws a lavish party to celebrate the return of his lost son, the older son refuses to join the feast.  Why?  One reason is because he thinks that his father is making a big mistake.  He thinks that this younger son does not deserve such kindness and generosity.  Basically he thinks his father is wrong, and he will not lower himself to sit and eat with his undeserving younger brother.  Now think back to the first few verses of Luke 15.  What was the major complaint that the Pharisees had against Jesus?  “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”  Can you see how Jesus again puts Himself into the place of the father?

“On hearing this, Jesus said to them,  “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”  - Luke 2:17

Finally, the father in Jesus’ story is willing to make incredible sacrifices for the good of his sons.  He sacrifices his pride and dignity when he allows his younger son to treat him so shamefully, and when he runs down the road to meet his son.   He sacrifices his wealth and security when he gives the younger son his share of the estate and allows him to leave the family and waste it all.  He even sacrifices his pride when he leaves his own feast to go out and plead with his bitter and self-righteous older son.  The Bible is abundantly clear that Jesus Christ did not just make a sacrifice for us, but He became the sacrifice for us.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”  - Philippians 2:5-8

Oh Lord Jesus, we confess that it is always all about You!  You are our source of strength.  You are our hope and our peace.  You are the bread of life and living water. You are the light of our lives and we have nothing without You  – Amen. 

Pastor Jeff Frazier

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Luke 15:25-30

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”

In his book, “The Prodigal God”, author Tim Keller tells the following story.

“Once upon a time there was a gardener who grew an enormous carrot. So he took it to his king and said, “My lord, this is the greatest carrot I have ever grown or ever will grow. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” The king was touched and discerned the man’s heart, so as he turned to go the king said, “Wait! You are clearly a good steward of the earth. I own a plot of land right next to yours. I want to give it to you freely as a gift so you can garden it all.” And the gardener was amazed and delighted and went home rejoicing. But there was a nobleman at the king’s court who heard all of this. And he said, “My! If that’s what you get for a carrot – what if you gave the king something better?” So the next day the nobleman came before the king and he was leading a handsome black stallion. He bowed low and said, “My lord, I breed horses and this is the greatest horse I’ve ever bred or ever will. Therefore I want to present it to you as a token of my love and respect for you.” But the king discerned his heart and said thank you, and took the horse and merely dismissed him. The nobleman was perplexed. So the king said, “Let me explain. That gardener was giving me the carrot, but you were giving yourself the horse.”

Like the nobleman in Keller’s story, the older brother in Jesus’ parable does the right things for the wrong reasons. He serves his father because he assumes that the father’s love for him is conditional upon his obedience. Therefore he also assumes that if he serves and obeys his father – he will be rewarded accordingly. He has fundamentally misunderstood the love of his father.

Earlier in Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep “in the open field” to search for one lost sheep. When the shepherd finds the single lost sheep, Jesus says he “calls his friends and neighbors together” to have a celebration. To me this is one of Jesus’ most clever and surprising stories. I think Jesus is catching his listeners off guard here – and here’s why. I think Jesus is saying, “What shepherd in his right mind would leave 99 sheep in the open field – where wild animals and thieves are abundant – just to go look for one lost lamb?” Think about it. Wouldn’t the prudent thing be to simply to realize that one got away and was probably already dinner for a pack of hungry wolves, and to simply cut your losses and go home with 99% of your inventory intact? Why risk anything else? And furthermore, why would any self-respecting shepherd throw a party when he finds ONE sheep?

I think Jesus is using a kind of irony to make his point. I think he’s telling us that while none of us would be foolish enough to leave 99 sheep to look for just one, that God is exactly that “foolish.” He’s saying that every single one of God’s sheep is of inestimable and irreplaceable value to Him – not because of what they do for Him, not for their service to Him, but just because they are HIS.

This is what the older brother struggles to accept. He thinks his value to his father is based on his obedience and service. This is why he thinks he deserves more than his younger brother who has failed to obey and serve their father. But he is wrong. His value to his father is not based on how well he performs! His value is based on the father’s love for him simply because he is his son.

For those of us with “older brother tendencies”, this is hard to accept. We want to be valued based on how well we perform! We want to deserve what we get! And yet, all the while, we fear that we aren’t performing well enough and that therefore we are not worthy of love. To us older brothers, I think Jesus would say something like this, “There’s nothing you can do to make me love you any more than I do right now, and there’s nothing you can do to make me love you any less than I do right now. So relax! Stop trying so hard and just let me love you as my child!”

Pastor Brian Coffey

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Luke 15:25-30

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours, who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!”

Years ago, when I was still in my seminary training, I gave a short devotional to a group of seminary students from different denominational traditions. We were part of a CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) training group serving for a semester as chaplains at a large suburban hospital. Once a week or so, we took turns sharing a devotional thought with the group. When it was my turn, I used a quote from a book I had been reading that reminded me that while I was called by God to serve others in ministry, I was still a sinner in need of grace like those I served. So I read the following quote:

“I am a part-time novelist who happens also to be a part-time Christian because part of the time seems to be the most I can manage to live out my faith….  From time to time I find a kind of heroism momentarily possible – a seeing, doing, telling of Christly truth – but most of the time I an indistinguishable from the rest of the herd that jostles and snuffles at the great trough of life. Part time novelist, Christian, pig.” (Frederick Buechner, “The Alphabet of Grace”)

I followed this quote with Paul’s words in 1 Timothy 1:15-16:

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason, I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those how would believe on him and receive eternal life.”

My main point was that, as those who have been called to ministry, we – above all others – must remain deeply aware of our dependence on the grace and forgiveness of Christ!

Our devotional time was always followed by a time of feedback – usually relentlessly positive – offered to the student who had given the devotional. The feedback I received wasn’t very, uh, pleasant! The group was angry – no, furious with me! “How dare you,” began one woman in a voice quivering with outrage. “How dare you insinuate that I am a sinner! I have dedicated my life to helping others.  I’ve never been so insulted!” And it wasn’t just her. One after another, each person in the group (including the supervisor) objected to what they saw as my “inappropriate assumption” about someone else’s sinfulness.

I tried to explain that it wasn’t really my idea – that this was the Apostle Paul talking about the very heart of the gospel. But my explanation was to no avail. They were mad at me and they stayed mad at me.

Now, looking back, I think two things were going on there. First, the choice of the quote that used the word “pig” as an illustration probably wasn’t the best choice – given that the group was comprised mostly of women! But second, I think the group was comprised of a bunch of “older brothers” – that is, people who had become convinced of their own goodness and moral superiority. I think they may have reacted so strongly because I had suggested that, deep down, we are all selfish and prideful and sinful, and in need of God’s grace.

The older brother in Jesus’ story believed that his father owed him something. He believed that he deserved better than his younger brother because he was better! He resented his father’s love and forgiveness for his brother because he had never really received it himself. He didn’t want to be loved. He didn’t want to be forgiven – he wanted to be paid what he thought he was worth.

And there’s the heart of the older brother’s sin. Deep down he believes he deserves God’s blessing and therefore he cannot bring himself to receive it as a gift of the father’s love.

May we, younger and older brothers alike, always be humble enough to be aware of our own sinful and selfish nature so that we may always be aware of the astonishing grace of God through Jesus Christ. For only as we marvel at His grace can we actually share it with others. 

Pastor Brian Coffey