The Grove Charlotte — Podcast

Scripture: John 20:1-18 & John 21:25

HE IS RISEN!

Easter Worship at the Grove

Pastor Kate Murphy
The Grove Presbyterian Church

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Scripture: Matthew 20:29 to 21:11

Dear Church,

Throughout this sacred season of Lent, we’ve been walking towards the glorious revelation of the cross and empty tomb which forms the heart of our faith and hope in Jesus. Now we are only a few steps away.

But first, a parade. A strange, but joyous parade. And at the center of that parade–not foliage, but foal. The revelation IS the donkey.

Because one sacrifice acceptable in God’s sight is to give up what appears to be good but isn’t, to not reach for what impresses and controls when you could grasp it, to set aside what is comfortable and safe, and commit instead to what is good, what is hard and apt to be misunderstood and costly.

This is the glory of the way of Jesus–all revealed in the donkey.

And friends–I really hope you will worship with me throughout this holiest of weeks. There is much the Spirit wants to show us in the final triumphant moments of the life of Jesus. Some of what we will see is astonishingly beautiful. And much of what we will behold is almost unbearable horror.

All of it is true. The beauty and the horror. And in Christ, God provides beautiful transcendent life for us in all of it.

Sooner or later, we will all experience the reality of these days in our own lives. We need to see how Jesus is with us in it all, is faithful to us in it all.

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Romans 3:19-26

Dear Church,

Early in the first century a man newly named Paul wrote a letter to a struggling church in the capitol city of the Roman Empire. These days we call that letter ‘the Book of Romans,’ and we read it as if it were the raw material for a volume of systematic theology (looking at you Karl Barth!).

But it wasn’t. It was a letter. To a real church–a struggling church–a small church. A church made up of different groups of people with very different life experiences and conflicting understandings of how to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And Paul, who wasn’t their pastor, was trying to help them come to a common understanding of how the death and resurrection of Jesus was a spiritual revolution that changed everything–not just their future eternal destinies, but how they would live together righteously and courageously in their current lives.

Too often, we turn the death of Jesus into an abstract theological equation. Since ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,’ ‘God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,’ therefore ‘all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.’ For too long, we’ve understood that to mean that the cross was a ‘one and done’ sacrifice by Jesus for God and now we are all justified and empowered to live however we like with no consequences.

Beloved–that’s not true.

And, more importantly, if it were true–if the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross meant that we are justified to live however we choose to live–that wouldn’t be grace, that wouldn’t be good news, that would be a curse.

Paul is writing to people just like us, trying to help them understand how what Jesus did on the cross opens up a new way for us to be human and gives us a new way to live as children of salt and light in a brutal and violent world. Those of us who believe in the righteousness of Jesus Christ that we see on the cross, will joyfully pick up our own crosses and follow him–ready and eager to make acceptable sacrifices that glorify God every day of our lives.

I hope you’ll join me as we unpack Paul’s teaching and receive a vision for the kinds of life-giving atoning sacrifices we who believe in Jesus gladly make each day of our lives.

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Mark 10:32-45

Dear Church,

Jesus turned to his friends and said, ‘We are going to Jerusalem, and when we get there, everyone is going to turn on me. I’m going to be arrested and tortured and humiliated and killed.’ And James & John said, ‘Cool, cool. Hey–give us whatever we ask for!’ And Jesus replied, ‘Nice try–what do you want?’ And they said, ‘We want to sit at your right and left hand when you come into your power.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘You really, really don’t want that. Yet.’ And then all the other disciples got really pissed at James and John, and Jesus tried to teach them about the nature of power and glory in his Kingdom, but nobody was listening.’

That’s my very unofficial paraphrase of Mark 10:32-45.

We still don’t want to listen to Jesus when he teaches us about power, authority and greatness in his Kingdom. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, Jesus–whatever you say. Hey! Give us whatever we ask for in your name!”

When Jesus shows us his glory and power on the cross, we definitely look away as quickly as possible.

The plain truth is, if we want to be saved by the power of Jesus, we will have to lay down our corrupted desires, and our natural understanding of authority and greatness must be transformed. And like our spiritual cousins, James & John, we fight that transformation every step of the way. Just let us use your name to get where we want to be, Jesus!

We may not yet understand or even desire the new life Jesus has for us, we may be committed to who we think Jesus is instead of who he actually is, we may, like James & John, be following Jesus because we want him to do what appears good to our eyes–but the good news of the gospel is we aren’t saved by our understanding or by the integrity of our faith. Rather, we are being saved by the power and glory of God. And we can trust in that glory and power, even as we struggle to surrender to it.

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Hebrews 13:1-16 (NIV)

Dear Church,

We are spending the 40 days of Lent seeking scripture for wisdom about sacrifice. What kinds of sacrifices are pleasing to the Lord?

So far, we’ve mostly focused on what not to do. You know, don’t kill your brother because your sacrifice is not acceptable. Don’t kill your daughter as a sacrifice. There is absolutely a pattern here–don’t kill people. Period.

So if murder is an unacceptable sacrifice (even dressed up in holy language), then what kinds of sacrifices do please God?

The good news/bad news is–it’s actually quite clear. The preacher in Hebrews lays it out plainly: Love one another, show hospitality to strangers, honor your spouse, don’t use other people’s bodies for your sexual gratification, care for prisoners and those who are being mistreated in practical & costly ways, liberate yourself from the love of money, practice radical contentment, imitate the faith and life of Jesus.

The trouble isn’t that we don’t understand–it’s that the ordinary costly sacrifices God calls us to are not acceptable in our eyes. They are not elite spiritual challenges that only a few can master. They are not ‘one and done.’ The sacrifices God deems acceptable do not titillate or entertain us. They will not give us elevated spiritual status, they will sink us deeper into solidarity with the least, last and lost.

And so we are susceptible to being led astray by ‘all kinds of strange teachings.’

I hope you will join me as we hear once again our daily call to ‘do good’ and ‘share with others.’ Acceptable sacrifices are as simple, possible and beautiful as that.

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Judges 11:1-11, and 11:29-40

Dear Church,

If we don’t know God, we cannot make an acceptable sacrifice. Even if we want to.

In the book of Judges, there is a terrible, tragic and important story about a man named Jephthah and his only daughter. Jephthah was one of the judges of Israel. He was an honorable man, who suffered abuse and exile at the hands of his own brothers and still returned to help them in their hour of need. Even though he was rejected by his people, he bravely and humbly agreed to serve them. He understood the history and covenant of Israel–ironically, more than those who believed they were the only ‘true’ Israelites. And he grounded his life in worship and dedicated his ministry to God.

In short, he desired with all his heart to love and serve God and God’s people.

But in a critical moment, he made a tragic vow, believing it was necessary and pleasing to God. And then, he kept that promise, believing it was faithfulness. He believed God required him to kill his only daughter.

Because he didn’t know the God he loved and served.

If we do not know God, if we do not know our own sacred history, we can be convinced to do all sorts of evil and call it faithful and righteous.

We often assume that everything in scripture is prescriptive–an example for us to follow. But much of scripture is descriptive–showing us the truth of how we can be deceived and twisted by lies and idolatry. We are gathering around the story of Jephthah and his daughter because we must learn to recognize and reject violent and destructive sacrifices as unacceptable to God and God’s people.

When we know God, we will no longer be deceived.

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Genesis 4:1-16

Dear Church,

Along with disciples across the world and generations, we set aside the next forty days before Easter as a season of repentance, spiritual growth and sacrifice.

Sacrifice?

As modern Christians, we are very comfortable thinking about Jesus making a sacrifice for us on the cross. But most of us feel that it is no longer appropriate or necessary for believers to make sacrifices for God. Surely, we protest, we’ve moved far beyond the kind of primitive worship that involves sacrifice. We are saved by grace, not works…and certainly not sacrifices.

But that’s a curious attitude to have considering that Jesus told would-be disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” I don’t know how much clearer he could have made it. Those who are unwilling to deny themselves–to sacrifice–will be unable to follow.

This Lent, we’ll be exploring what a healthy and holy practice of sacrifice looks like. What does God ask of us? We can all tell stories about Christians who have been manipulated and abused in the name of sacrifice, but what does a good sacrifice look like? What kinds of gifts and sacrifices actually please the Lord?

Because, as we learn in the very first story of sacrificial worship, not all of our offerings do please God.

What will our response be if we discover, like our older brother Cain, that what we are willing to offer isn’t acceptable in God’s sight?

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Revelation 1:1-19

Dear Church,

A surprising amount of scripture was penned by prisoners. Paul wrote most of his letters while imprisoned. And Revelation, the fiery apocalyptic poem that concludes the Bible, was written by a pastor named John while he was jailed on the isle of Patmos.

Most people think the key to understanding Revelation is decoding ‘when.’ When will the events described occur? How long now? How much more time do we have?

But ‘when’ is the wrong question.

If you want to understand Revelation, the question you have to answer is ‘where.’ Where was it written? Where is Babylon? Where is New Jerusalem? And, most importantly, where will I pledge my allegiance?

Pastor John was in prison for a reason. His seven churches were small and struggling, situated on the margin of the mighty Roman Empire. He and his churches certainly didn’t seem like a threat. But the gospel he preached absolutely was. It exposed the lies and unrighteousness of the powerful. It demanded that disciples swear absolute allegiance to Christ, not Caesar.

The gospel still makes those demands of us.

Which is why we need Revelation–so that we can see beyond what appears to be real to what is true and eternal. John seemed like a weak, old prisoner, condemned to die in obscurity. But he was not powerless or defeated, and he knew it. He knew he had nothing to fear from the most powerful political regime in the world. He knew he was free, despite his chains. He knew that the one who fought for him was greater than the one who fought against him.

He knew how the story ends. He saw the glory of the living Lord. And then he wrote a poem so we could see it too.

I hope you will join us for worship this Sunday as we hear, rejoice and take courage from John’s glorious vision.

Peace,
Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Joshua 14:5-15

Dear Church,

The Bible is a dangerous book.

The word of God is power (see Romans 1:16) and power is neutral. As my old New Testament professor used to say, ‘the same electricity that toasts your bread can kill you dead!’ Power itself isn’t inherently good or bad. But the power of the word of God can and has been misused to accomplish (and justify!) great evil in the world.

The right response to this grim reality is not denial or to abandon scripture. The right response is to learn how to use the power of God’s word righteously. And we know what that looks like–because we have the witness of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. AND we have the guiding wisdom and continual presence of the Holy Spirit.

All this to say–this Sunday we are going to look at a tiny piece of scripture you may never have heard before. But it has been twisted into a weapon of destruction and is still used to justify genocide and ethnic cleansing to this day.

I don’t want us to hide from this story. I want us to learn together why it doesn’t mean what many Christians have been taught. But I also want us to learn together what it does mean–because I think we desperately need this truth in these days.

Ultimately, this story is about how we carry the promises of God.

Like all of God’s truth–it is outrageously good news. Not just for us, but for all of creation. Because the power of God is God’s unfailing love–and our hope is in God’s full redemption. Unfailing love. Full redemption. These aren’t our naive wishes–this is the testimony of scripture.

And if the power of God’s word can be misused to do great evil, how much more goodness, healing, love and life will flow out of the righteous use of the promises of God? Beloved–it’s unfathomable.

This is a word that will sustain and inspire us in these days.

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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Scripture: Mark 12:41-44

Dear Church,

There is a lot of controversy about the Bible story we’re going to hear today..

A widow goes to the temple and throws two small coins into the treasury. Jesus is watching and commends her. He explains that while other gifts seem larger, she has given all she possesses.

For generations, preachers have told the story of the widow, celebrating her piety and encouraging believers to ‘go and do likewise.’ Give all you have to the church…err–God.

But in recent years, scholars have begun pushing back. They point out that immediately before Jesus talks about the widow, he excoriates scribes and priests, for hypocrisy in general and specifically for ‘devouring widow’s houses.’ Turns out, temple officials were entrusted with overseeing the assets of widows (because #patriarchy) and were entitled to compensation for their labors.  The overseers did their job so well that many widows ended up penniless and homeless.

Kind of casts a different light on the scene doesn’t it?  Perhaps her gift was less piety and more prophecy. Maybe she was throwing in all they’d left her as if to say, ‘you might as well have this too!’

However you read it, this is the story about a powerless woman who had very little to give. And she gave it all to a temple that had betrayed and exploited her. And Jesus saw. And because he told the story, generations later, we still have the opportunity to watch and wonder–what does this mean? How shall we live?

What does it mean to give all you have to a wounded world as it wounds you?  Is it better to withhold gifts from the unworthy? If the widow is a window… what is she showing us?

What I know for sure is that in these days, we must let Jesus and the widow teach us why we give.

Peace,

Pastor Kate

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