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Matthew 28 is the chapter that gives us the details of Jesus’ resurrection. It tells us about the women going to the tomb to finish the burial preparations for Jesus’ body but finding an empty tomb and an angel who said in Matthew 28:6, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

Jesus is risen. That’s the core of our faith. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” That’s a dramatic statement: if Jesus was not raised from the dead, Christianity is a false religion.

And so the easiest argument to support our claim that Jesus is risen is the empty tomb. “He is not here.” But let’s not confuse that with, “He’s gone!” Even though Jesus is risen from the dead, even though the tomb is empty, even though the disciples witnessed Jesus ascend into heaven (Acts 1), Jesus is not just “gone.”

And yet the church seems to think that we’ve been abandoned. We believe that Jesus is alive and that he will come back for us at the end, but we find ourselves acting as if we’re all alone in the world. As the church finds itself being persecuted openly more often in the world, it sometimes feels like God is terribly distant, and we huddle together hoping for Jesus’ return.

But Jesus is not “just” risen, and he is certainly not gone. At the end of the chapter, Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” This is a promise. Jesus told his disciples that he would die, that he would be raised from the dead, that he would return for them, and that he would be with them until the “end of the age.” We preach and teach these promises as truth, but still we struggle as if we’re alone.

We’re not alone. He is risen, and he is here! As we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, let us live with joy knowing that he is with us. “I serve a risen Savior. He’s in the world today…. You ask me how I know he lives? He lives within my heart.”

Over the past few weeks, I’ve mentioned several times the second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which comes from Leviticus 19:18 and which Jesus affirms in Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31, and Luke 10:27, 28. Jesus taught parables from this commandment and made other statements in regard to it throughout his ministry; it’s clear that Jesus wants us to love other people.

But what about the greatest commandment, “To love God”? Again, Jesus mentions this command in Matthew 22:37, 38, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment,” and again in Mark 12:30. But other than these references, Jesus doesn’t go into a lot of detail about what it means to love God or how to love God. Or did he?

While Jesus didn’t go throughout his ministry telling people to go to synagogue, to offer sacrifices at the temple, to read or recite God’s Word, he did explain that loving God was a matter of obedience. “If you love me, you will obey what I command…. If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:15, 23). “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” (John 15:10). Clearly loving God is a matter of obeying his commands. So if Jesus’ ministry and commands seem to focus on loving people, then our love for God ought to be a matter of serving God by loving other people.

When Jesus was tempted by Satan to focus on himself after fasting for 40 days, Jesus responded to Satan’s temptation by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” Jesus’ undivided love for God led him to worship and service, and our undivided love for God ought to lead us to the same. Certainly we must keep our eyes focused on God, but that ought to help us see how much God loves the people he created. If you’re wondering what it means to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, it means to worship God and serve him alone, and that ought to lead you toward loving and serving others.

In the first few sermons of the year, I tried to prepare us for the process of evaluating where we are, dreaming about where we want to go, and determining how we’re going to get there – in a word, change. I know that change can be irritating, if not outright frightening, but it’s a fact of life and growth that things will change.

In fact, that’s the whole point of the church. It is meant to change because we are meant to change. In 2 Corinthians 3:7-18, Paul wrote that when Moses received God’s Law on Mt. Sinai, his face radiated the glory of God, so much so that the people could not look at his face; he was changed by God’s presence and by his ministry of God’s covenant with his people. Paul also wrote that the new covenant through Jesus is “more glorious” than what Moses received and that it changes us: “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever- increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Because of our exposure to life in Jesus, we are changed to reflect God’s glory. Moses’ ministry was to share the Law, which brought death (v. 7), but our ministry brings righteousness (v. 9) and freedom (v. 17). Moses’ face was changed to reflect the glory of God’s righteous judgment, and the people couldn’t bear to see it. But Paul says that not only do we reflect God’s glory because of Jesus but we are being changed to be more like him, and we reflect that glory with “unveiled faces” (v. 18).

That change comes “whenever anyone turns to the Lord.” Ultimately, that’s our goal, to be transformed to be more and more like Jesus, with “ever-increasing glory.” The words “ever increasing” mean that we are not ever going to stop changing; we’re going to experience transformation by God throughout our lives. And that transformation is going to reflect God to all who see us.

So what kind of changes are we going to make? Ones that will reflect God more and more in whatever we say and do. We’re not interested in gimmicks to draw people into the building; we’re going to do whatever it takes to reflect God’s glory in our community and draw people to him. Be ready to change because God’s ready to take away the veil.

“’Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord….’ ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'” (Luke 2:10, 11, 14, NIV)

These words from the angels to the shepherds fascinate me. Of all the classes I’ve taken, of all the books I’ve read, of all the speakers of I’ve heard, this is probably the simplest expression of God’s message to all people. In Jesus’ birth announcement, God reveals his plan, its recipients, its benefits, and its purpose.

God’s plan is to save people. The people of Jesus’ day knew that they needed a savior, even though they thought it should be someone who would save them from the Romans. But God’s plan to save people is more than a rebellion against a powerful, earthly empire. God’s plan is to destroy a rebellion – which is the first prophecy of Jesus in Genesis 3:15 – and to rescue those who were caught behind enemy lines.

God’s plan is to save all who are faithful. The angels said that their news was for “all the people” and “to men on whom his favor rests.” Even though the announcement didn’t go into the details that we can find throughout the rest of Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament, it certainly makes an offer to all people but to all who submit to the lordship of the one whose birth is announced.

God’s plan has great benefits to those who accept it. God’s plan dispels fear. This good news brings joy. It brings salvation. It brings peace. It brings God’s favor.

Most importantly, God’s plan has a purpose, to bring God glory. Even though God’s plan focuses on the salvation of people, giving them joy and peace and favor with God, it all points back toward God. While we celebrate God’s gift to us, let us respond with joy in our praise and worship of God who made the plan and provided salvation through Jesus, to his glory!

I don’t know what tradition of Christianity you grew up in, but until I was in the third grade, by family attended the Presbyterian church in town. Growing up in a church that has a liturgical calendar allowed me to develop a sense of tradition that has helped me grow in my faith and knowledge of Jesus throughout my life.

In the weeks leading to Christmas, the Presbyterian church had a family time during Sunday school several weeks before Christmas. In that time, we made ornaments for home and for the church’s Christmas tree, which we also decorated. We also made Advent wreaths for home using pine branches and candles.

The Advent season begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas, November 30 this year. While many churches celebrate the Advent season in anticipation of Christmas, it is actually preparation for the second coming of Jesus while celebrating his first coming. The readings and teachings of Advent were meant to help us to anticipate Jesus’ return with the same sense of urgency and celebration that surrounds Christmas.

Since this newsletter has likely reached you before Thanksgiving, perhaps part of your family’s Thanksgiving celebration might include giving thanks for the coming of Jesus. Not only should we celebrate the coming of the baby Jesus, the Prince of Peace, but also the second coming of Jesus the King of Kings.

He is coming! Our message is Good News! Just as the prophets told of the coming Messiah, giving hope to God’s people Israel, Jesus promised that he would return to take his people home with him. We have hope for the second coming because of the blessings of the first coming of Jesus. Our joyful celebration of this Good News should be just as exuberant as our celebration of Christmas, and it should last all year. Let’s use our preparation for the celebration of Christmas to set the tone for our ongoing preparation for the return of Jesus.

We’ve been focusing on Romans 12:9-20 for the last few weeks, and we’re going to continue over the next few weeks. The core of this series of messages has been the idea from verse 9 that “love must be sincere.” Grammatically speaking, this section is one long run-on sentence. Throughout the rest of this section of Scripture, there is a series of phrases that all link back to this statement. The sentence is a detailed description of how love must be sincere.

I’ve focused on one attribute of sincere love, that it is good thing to which we must cling, which is why I’ve called the series “Clingy Love.” My intent has been to show us that, not only must our love be sincere, it must also cause us to hold on to each other. Jesus said in John 13:35 that the world will know that we are Jesus’ disciples by the way we love each other. That will be through our sincere, clingy love for each other.

When does the world see that kind of love in the church? When we’re clinging together. And that usually happens in two kinds of occasions: the good times and the bad times. Paul wrote, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” Evil is repellent, and good is attractive. The bad times push us together, while the good times draw us together.

And that’s how we know that our love is sincere. If the bad times push us apart, we ought to question our love for each other. Obviously, the bad times are opportunities for love to be secondary in our minds, but those are the times when we must cling together. Sometimes, when individuals are experiencing their own bad times—whether due to grief, illness, loneliness, anger, etc.—they are inclined to push others away, but that’s when the rest of us have to take the initiative to cling to them.

I’ll admit that I am often clueless when it comes to recognizing when others need someone to cling to; so I welcome the nudge, every once in a while, that prompts me to step in when a brother or sister needs someone to cling to. But when you find someone who needs that kind of sincere love, don’t pass it off to someone else when you can love them just as well; don’t miss your own opportunities to show that clingy love to someone else.

Fall is absolutely my favorite season of the year. I love the change from summer to fall, the change in the temperature, the change in the leaves, the change to football – all of it! It’s a time of transition, and I love it.

Many folks don’t like transitions, usually because they liked the way things used to be or they’re looking forward to whatever is new. The transition, however, many people could do without. For example, I like being at home, and I also like being on vacation, but I’m not a huge fan of the drive in between.

But a lot happens in the transition, doesn’t it? How many of us have our favorite vacation destinations but also have our favorite stops along the way? When we vacationed “up north” in Michigan, the trip wasn’t complete without the stop at Northwoods Wholesale Outlet in Pinconning, Michigan. While I might not like the drive, there are a few things I love that happen along the way.

That’s a pretty accurate description of our life with Jesus. Many of us met or found Jesus when we were in one season of our lives, but he changed us or began changing us. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We’ve been changed, but it’s a lifelong process. Many of us are like Paul in Philippians 3:13, 14: “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” We want to forget what we were like and what we were experiencing, and we want to be at the final destination.

But there’s a lot of good things that happen during the transition. That’s where we live with the church and as the church. That’s where we do the work that God has called us to. That’s where we see the change happening, not only in our own life but in the lives of others.

But the transition is also where we experience a lot of pain. Growth brings pain. Change sometimes brings frustration and discouragement. And so, many people would rather get to the end or stay at the beginning rather than endure the transition.

But one thing that makes the transition bearable, even enjoyable and exhilarating, is the fact that even though he is always encouraging and helping us to change, Jesus never changes. Hebrews 13:8 says that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” As we grow in our faith and knowledge of Jesus, he is the ever-changing Savior; that is, he is always changing us to bring us closer to God. But he is also the never-changing Savior; he is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Turn away from the past; live in hope for your future; trust God in the transition.

This last sermon series has been encouraging for me. Throughout my life and ministry, I’ve found myself looking for that “one thing” that will help me grow closer to God or that would help others grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus. However, in that search, I’ve discovered that there are no “silver bullets” in ministry, short of God’s grace; that is, there is no single thing that will ensure any individual’s growth and maturity in their Christian life.

While that might not seem all that encouraging, this sermon series has solidified my thinking about this. In Philippians 4:8, Paul ran through a list of things that he encouraged the church to think about: whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. While I have been preaching through these traits as standards to live by, they’re also avenues of growth.

This thought occurred to me during the Wednesday Bible study following the sermon “Whatever Is Lovely.” (By the way, if you’ve ever wanted to interrupt the sermon to ask questions or call “bunk” while I’m preaching, check out Wednesday Bible study at 7 p.m.) The idea of something being “lovely” is the idea of something being attractive. So, in Bible study, we discussed the question, “What attracted you to God?” As we went around the room, some described the transformation they witnessed in the lives of other people; others described being drawn to Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf; others talked about how God’s Word spoke to them.

There are all kinds of things that draw us to God, and Paul’s list in Philippians 8 would incorporate many of them. Some people are drawn to God’s truth, others to God’s righteousness and purity. Each of these things has a factor that attracts us to God, but not every one of them draws every person in the same way. While Jesus is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), people are attracted to him in many different ways. And that’s OK.

Think about what first attracted you to God. Think about what continues to attract you to God. Then, as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:9, “Put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

My family and I just spent the last week in Indianapolis for the North American Christian Convention. We heard great speakers, worshiped with a few thousand brothers and sisters in Christ, and reunited with friends we haven’t seen in a while. It was a good time to be refilled and redirected.

The theme for the week was “ReMission,” a call to return to our mission, the Great Commission. Throughout the week we heard speakers at Bible studies, workshops, and main sessions recast the mission from several different perspectives. We were reminded that before we can share the Good News of Jesus, we had to be able to see the people for whom Jesus died, seeing beyond their skin color, social status, political affiliation, and more. We heard a call to “lead with love” and to connect with people through simple conversations. We were encouraged to engage the culture, to stop “dating and divorcing” the church, to stop complaining about the church, and to “hang in there!” We were reminded that when we serve the world, we’re loving people, not working on projects. We were challenged by the urgency of eternity to share the Good News because it’s the right, moral thing to do; because we were commanded by Jesus to do it; because it was Jesus’ mission, too; because life is short and hell is real; and because the church is shrinking. And finally, we were recommissioned to go into the world and be the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.”

Throughout the convention, we heard the testimonies of men, women, and families whose lives were transformed by God through the efforts of preachers, teachers, coworkers, students, and even duck call makers who used any means they had available to stay focused on God’s mission to seek and save the lost. If I had to summarize everything in one statement, I’d remind us that we’re on a mission to change the world with a message that hasn’t changed. I pray that what we saw and heard would spark ideas and plans here in Athens so that our friends, neighbors, families, coworkers, and classmates would also be transformed by Jesus. We’re all in this together; let’s stay focused on the mission.

For whatever specific reason, throughout the world, we Americans have a cowboy image. Whether it is because of our western, cowboy heritage and culture or due to our western movies, many people in the rest of the world regard us as people who are bold and brash, perhaps somewhat uncultured, but principled and strong. While we might stride into a high-society event with mud on our boots, we remember to remove our hat and say, “Thank you, ma’am.” When there’s work to be done, we won’t shirk our responsibility and we’ll do what it takes to get the job done, whether it ruffles some feathers or draws some blood. Maybe it’s because my Mom steeped us in John Wayne westerns and “The Lone Ranger” while we were growing up, but I like the stereotype.
What makes the cowboy imagery so appealing is the outlook on life that draws from living out on the “open range” with a stark sense of right vs. wrong and the nerve and grit to work hard and shoot straight to defend that freedom. Honestly, that seems to be similar to the freedom we have as Christians, though we don’t always live that way.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul seems to encourage his readers to be bold and confident because the transformation through Jesus is more powerful than what Moses experienced when he received the Law from God. Paul writes in verses 7-11 that if Moses’ face was made more radiant than the people could bear because he had witnessed the glory of God through the Law, then we ought to be made more “radiant” because we have received the Holy Spirit, God himself, into our lives. He writes in verse 12, “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” Paul goes on to remind his readers that this boldness comes from freedom in Jesus: “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

For some reason, even in the church, this kind of boldness isn’t always met well. Even though we have freedom, even though we have God himself living in us, we seem to want to maintain some kind of restrained refinement. Unfortunately, the life and the work to which we have been called, for which we have been transformed, is messy. When it comes to confronting this world of sin, there’s a lot of hard work that has to be done by people who aren’t afraid to get down into the mud and the blood.

But that’s the “cowboy way,” and I suggest that it’s the Christian way, too. Some might have reservations about how we do what we do and about what we say, but if it has to be said and done, we ought to say it and do it, “speaking the truth in love,” as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:15. We might not be the most polished people, and we might come across as brash and uncouth, but because we have liberty in Jesus, we need to live with boldness, living in awe of the “open range” of God’s kingdom, working hard and shooting straight as we share God’s glory and truth.