Sermon

Why are You Here?

By Jared Warner

Willow Creek Friends Church

January 5, 2020

Click to watch Video

John 1:1–18 (ESV)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. ⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

In the beginning. The opening of John’s gospel is worded in a way sparks the imagination. I love this gospel. It is my favorite of all the gospel accounts of Jesus. In the beginning. Where does that phrase direct your attention? When I think of the beginning my mind goes back. And as I consider it my mind continues to go on back. When did the beginning begin?

There is something about going to the beginning that can be amazing. Of course, we often jump to the story of Genesis when we hear about the beginning, and that is alright because that is what Genesis is about. But what about your beginning? This is an idea that I want us to really consider today. What has gotten us to this place in our lives, and who has been with us?

The past few weeks I have thought about these things, I have thought about it for several reasons the first is because I have had a couple of very important people in my life that have passed through the veil of life to death this year. When people pass away, those of us that remain grieve because we often do not know how to live our life without those individuals in our lives. That process is one that never really stops. My little sister has been in heaven for about twenty-two years and I still have moments where the grief just takes hold. Certain words will spark a memory and I will laugh, and then all at once the loss is very real again. This year Albert really got excited to give gifts for the first time, he wanted to pick out what to give to the individuals were giving gifts too. That action reminded me of my little sister, because she loved to give gifts and she always wanted to make sure it was something we would like. To make sure we would like it, sometimes she would…well she would basically steal our stuff and wrap it up so she could give it back to us. It made us mad, but it also made us realize the great love she had in her heart. But I lost two in my family over the past year, my grandmother and my aunt. These losses sparked my mind to remember life with them. And both of those women have had a significant place in my life and in my faith.

The other thing that has caused me to think back is because Kristy and I have been pastors in this Meeting for ten years. As I talked with my family over the holiday, we could hardly believe that it has been that long, because so often it seems as if we have just started our ministry here, and at other times it feels like we have been here forever.

These things in my life have caused me to remember, to consider the beginnings of my journey. How did I become the person I am, and what prompted the various directions I have chosen in life?

This opening passage of John says in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. As I thought about these words this week and as I remember the various contemplation, I have had over this passage throughout my journey of faith I am often challenged by the concept of word. It is such a seeming simple word, but have you ever really tried to define the word, word? How can you define this concept using words? It is like using a word to define a word, which when defining the word word makes things very confusing. Our entire culture, our entire human history is built on words, the construct of language is often the very thing that people use to determine intelligence in animals, and since humanity in our perspective is the highest or most intelligent creature on earth we often determine intelligence from the basis of our use of words. In the beginning was the word.

This opening phrase tells us something very important. The concept of Word in history is wisdom and knowledge, but there is so much more to this word. The root of the word means to gather or to collect. To most of us that does not really lead us consider Word to mean wisdom, but what do we gather and collect?

I find this to be an interesting place to start, especially when we consider the concept of intelligence. The more social an animal species is, the greater the intelligence of those animals. We can observe various communication and social structures among groups of animals. When animals gather communication seems to be very important to their survival. It might be grunts or howls, it might be hand gestures we often call it instinct, but knowledge has in some way been passed from one to another. And that knowledge has allowed for the generations to exist.

Humans gather. It is important, it is necessary for us to gather. Science has found that our brains cannot function to its greatest capacity without other brains around us. We are social beings, and when we are isolated it often has detrimental consequences to our health and well-being. We must gather. The root of wisdom comes from the gathering and it builds from there.

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. It is interesting that this word that so often is associated with knowledge and wisdom with the root coming from gathering is explained in a relational way. The word was with God, and the word was God. The concept of with is interesting. There is a relationship present, cooperation, or even a symbiosis in this concept. When a concept is described in this relational way, one cannot really separate the things that are with each other. They exist only together. The word was with God and the word was God. What is being said is as scripture often tells us the beginning of wisdom is God.

I know that is a bunch of abstract thinking, and mainly the stuff that bible geeks get excited about. But this is the Christmas season, the time we celebrate God with us. Yes, Christmas is more than just a day. Christmas is God with us, that is why it is such an important season. We gather to celebrate with others. We share what we have with others. God is with us.

In the beginning. God gathered with God, and God made everything. Without this symbiotic relationship nothing would exist, because without that relationship there would be no gathering. God is with God, and God is with creation. This gathering together is life.

There is something poetic and beautiful about that idea. For life to exist we must gather and in the gathering life expands. This is biology and theology meeting together telling us that for us to truly live we need relationships. For life to thrive we others around us. And John says that this life is the light of man.

Light, like word is often associated with wisdom and knowledge. More accurately it is associate with revelation or the gaining of knowledge. The revelation to mankind that gives life is when we recognize that we need relationships.

This brings me back to the beginnings. How did you get to the place where you are, and who was with you? As I have thought about my journey through life and faith, I have recognized that my journey began before I ever really knew anything. There were people involved along the way. I mentioned my aunt, my grandmother, my sister, but those are only a few. This past week, I enjoyed some time with my parents, and my grandfather. These people were directly involved in pretty much every aspect of my growth as a child. They taught me how to many things. They showed me how to live with others and how to let others know how much I care for them. I spent time with my uncle, who taught me how to work because he was my first boss. I spent time with my brother and sister. I spent time chatting with friends on the internet and I even checked out a few sites that were shared by one of my favorite teachers from school. The most important aspects of life are life. Those individuals we live life with.

This brings us to the tenth verse, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.” I consider this verse to be one of the most depressing passages in all of scripture. He was in the world, the world that he made, the world that he gathered to him and created life through, yet the world did not know him.

Have you ever been involved in something, contributed to the success of something, and not been given credit for your participation? It is one of the most damaging things to a relationship. The lack of acknowledgment, or when others seem to make us feel insignificant. This is one of the reasons relationships are so difficult, because we are often distracted. Bills need to be paid so we go to work, and we are distracted from life with our family. We have a schedule to keep so we are distracted from spending time with those around us. We are distracted and, in our distraction, we often lose sight of life. He came to the world, the world that was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Over this Christmas season I came across an article that said that I do not need a church to be a good person, and it gave a list of the reasons why. I have heard the argument many times over the past few years. And over the past few years I have seen many things within and without the church. I have seen churches say they do not need the Yearly Meeting; I have seen Yearly Meetings say we do not need some of the churches. They make arguments for or against. And I have sat back and observed something. Most of these arguments miss something, with. Sin is distraction. Sin is the things that distract us from life with God and others. Sin is those things that divide us and cause us to disrespect the life of those around us. Sin is us in the church failing to see that of God in those outside these walls, sin is those outside these walls failing to acknowledge the importance of the gathering. Sin is us not seeing that life is with not without.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God came to live with us. Jesus came to show us life with God, and life with others. He came to live with us, because we as humans forgot how to live life. He came to be with us, because He loves us.

What brought you to this place today? Who was with you along the way? Where was the beginning? I stand here today because someone loved me. I am here because my wife’s family accepted me as one of their own. I am here today because my parents encouraged me. I am here today because my parents were encouraged by their parents, my grandparents. I am here today because my great grandparents loved and encouraged their children. I am here today because… the list could go on down through history. I am where I am today because of lives lived with others. I am here today because Jesus became flesh and lived with others. I am here today because the Word was with God and was God, and that word gathered everything together to make life. I am here today not because I must be, but because it has been revealed to me that I can only truly live if I am with others. I am here today because… Why are you here?

Jesus loved the world so much that he could not bear to see the scattering of what was gathered in him, so he became flesh, he lived with us. He showed us what life with God and others looked like. He showed us truth, and that truth revealed the sin we all embrace. And we rejected it because we believed the lie that we are enough in ourselves, and we do not need to be with others. Jesus took that sin on himself and he died alone on the cross, and he was buried alone in a tomb. He took our sin, our rejection, our shame. But the story does not end there because he rose on the third day and he entered a room and ate with others. And he told those that were gathered to go to the ends of the earth and share life. He commanded them to go and make disciples, to walk with others through life. Why are you here? Because in the beginning the word was with God, and the word was God. And that word dwells with us.

The Cries of the Innocent

By Jared Warner

December 29, 2019

Matthew 2:13–23 (ESV)

¹³ Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” ¹⁴ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt ¹⁵ and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” ¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. ¹⁷ Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ¹⁸ “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” ¹⁹ But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, ²⁰ saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. ²³ And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

For most of us we often stop the Christmas story after the gifts presented by the Magi. I really do not know why, but that is just how our cultural expression of our Christian faith. Last week during our celebration of Christmas, it was discussed that many of our Friends from other nations include the flight to Egypt and the slaughter of innocence in their nativity celebrations. I found this very intriguing.

The interesting thing about Christ is that He truly is God with us. The theological concept surrounding this idea is something that makes my heart leap. If God is truly with us that means that He understands the various things that we face. God understand the pain our stomach gives us when we eat just a bit too much. He understands the joy of marriage, the incredible grief we feel when we experience the loss of a loved one. God understands. But there is one area of life that I do not understand, the senselessness of the suffering during war.

When the Magi come to Jerusalem and announced their quest, fear pulsated throughout the region of Israel. Why exactly were the people of Israel afraid of the announcement of a king? Probably because there was already a self-proclaimed king currently occupying that position. This person was not exactly a benevolent leader, even though the leader did inspire greatness within the nation. This king commissioned the building of the greatest religious facility known to humanity. And the religious leaders knew that their lifestyle was dependent on the pleasure of this tyrannical benefactor. If the king is happy the nation is happy. But when an authoritarian individual is plagued by paranoia, fear permeates all those around because those in authority use fear and violence to maintain their authority.

As I considered the traditions of Christmas I am reminded of the various histories of the locations, and since our meeting has a significant population of families that immigrated from Congo, the tradition of incorporating the some of their traditions is important. But what is their history?

As in many areas, Africa has a long history of colonialism. One might take a couple of views of colonizing areas. You might see it as progress, but there is another view one of oppression. Congo is a nation rich in natural resources. This nation is so rich in these resources they could stabilize the economies in all of Africa. But there is a problem, for centuries people have come into their lands and established control over those resources. At times the control over those resources was held by an authoritarian hand that held an entire nation in slavery. Then there have been various waring factions seeking to gain control over the riches of nature. The people of Congo have experienced oppression and exploitation of some of the worst. They have been involved in the longest war in human history, yet many people in the world know very little about those that call that land home. I myself am not an expert.

Today’s passage though speaks of a nation in fear, because their leader was introduced to a threat to his power. And all of Jerusalem was in fear too. The magi came and went, with the instructions of Herod to come to tell him where the child was to be found. But the magi did not return to Herod, and the great man was furious. These wealthy and wise men from the east did not respect his authority. They did not listen to what he had to say. They treated his decree as something optional instead of law.

This is the time and place the prince of peace first made an appearance, in a nation filled with fear and abuse of power. Abuse of power in the religious sense and in the secular realms. The story does not stop with the birth of Jesus, it does not stop with the visit of the shepherds, or even the gracious gifts from those wealthy academics from schools of magic. Right after the gifts were given Joseph was warned in a dream to run. He was warned to run because the life of the child and the family was at risk. The Holy family were faced with a decision to stay among their people and to live in a nation rule by paranoid tyranny, or run away to find a place in a foreign land where they might possibly find peace and a place to be free to raise their blessed child.

I have thought of this passage the past few weeks. I have considered it for most of my adult life. My oldest son was born in 1999, nearly his entire life our nation has been at war. My youngest son was born on Patriots’ Day, the day of remembrance established to remind us of why we have been at war for nearly twenty years. We have been fighting a war for my entire adult life. We look at those wars as being far away, until families begin to find their way to our nation who are attempting to flee from the dangers those various wars have caused. I am not saying that we did not have just cause to enter these battles but there is a cost. A great cost.

Wars are fought, and human lives are lost, damaged, and in many ways broken. These lives are not only lost among those involved in the fight, but the bombs often fall on those whose only offense was that they were born in a nation whose leaders oppose that of another. These families often stay, they have no desire to leave their home, but eventually the threat becomes too great. Eventually the adults must face the reality that they can stay and potentially face death, or they can fly to another place and attempt to start over with whatever they might have available to them. This is a story that has been with us in all human history. Wars, famines, persecutions force people from one area. The story is one that can see in the movies. One of my favorite movies as a child was “An American Tale” it was a story of a family of mice that fled their home to start again in the land of opportunity America.

We like the stories of rebirth, the emergence of something great out of the ashes of life, but what about those that have lived in the lands not of opportunity but fear? Where is God in those places, where people seek to destroy you because you believe differently, or you look different, or speak a different language. Where is God when those that have authority over others seek to rid the world of those individuals that seem to threaten their ability to rule? There are many faces and names for these people. In my grandfather’s generation the world dealt with one of these authoritarian individuals that wanted to blame all their problems on one group of people. Another movie, “Hotel Rwanda” speaks of another instance of one group of people seeking to blame another for all their problems. Where is God when those of Jewish heritage face death simply because they were born to a Jewish family. Where is God when the Kurdish people living between Turkey and Syria face death because two nations seem to hate them. Where is God when corporations buy land in Latin America from the governments in power and the people living on those lands are forced to find a new home after living on the land for generations? Does God know the plight of the refugees fleeing nations in fear of their lives?

Herod was furious, because those wise men from the east did not return to tell him where the child was. The result of that fury was the death of every male child in Bethlehem and the surrounding country under the age of three. Imagine soldiers entering a quite village and entering every house with weapons raised grabbing the child from your arms. What happened if you resisted? What would happen if you did not resist? We do not often reflect on the slaughter of the Innocents; we do not reflect on it because it is not a pretty image to have in our minds. What could possibly drive this sort of madness that the fury of a ruler would be imposed on individuals that literally have no voice of their own?

Where is God? God is with the refugees, because God was one of them. God is with the refugee; God called his son out of Egypt to fulfill our salvation. God is with those that live in fear of those in authority over them because it was from one of those individuals that God found protection from in a foreign land.

How often do we really consider this flight of the Holy family? Have we ever imagined ourselves in this portion of the story? Have we ever considered if the lives that we live support or oppose the flight of the innocent?

I sat with this image in my mind over the past few weeks. I have thought about the various responses that people have made throughout history. What would our response be to those people from Ireland who made their way across the ocean when the famine struck? What would your response be to those people of Jewish decent that sought safety from the camps? What would our response be to so many people fleeing from one area of the world to another? Do we respond with authority or compassion?

In this era of history expressing ideas of charity are often met with shouts and curses. Often, we want to place the blame of all our problems onto those that we see as being the cause of all our problems. How quickly we do forget. My family came across the ocean for the same reason that people of Latin America come north, they came for the same reason that my friends from Africa boarded a plane to an unknown destination in a country on the other side of the globe. My family came, because they feared for their lives or feared that they could not live the life they desired. They came because they had hope that there was a land where they could live life without fear. They came because God is with the refugee, he is with them providing hope in the hopeless situation. God is with those that have lost everything. God is with those that welcome the ones that flee, and God will call his children out of those lands to fulfill his plans.

Let us remember who we are this during this Christmas season. Let us remember that God is with us, even in the darkest times of our lives, and that God is calling us to bear the light of hope in a world of darkness.

Evangelical Friends Missions

Today we did not have a traditional service. We had a visit from a missionary that is serving in one of many areas where the persecution of those that profess faith in Christ is high.

Whenever we have the opportunity to have these guest we invite them to join us in worship. That being said I did not prepare a message but enjoyed the testimony from those of other lands.

We have several active ministries on the international plain you can learn more of these works by visiting this website.

Hope you have a wonderful week as we approach the day we celebrate the Birth of Hope!