Oak Chapel United Methodist Church

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May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O God.
Amen

Isn't it exciting to read about prophecy that is based on faithful assurance that God is a god of loving kindness?! And, isn't it even more exciting to read about such prophecy being fulfilled by our God of Love?! We heard in our first reading how Isaiah referred to Galilee, "the way by the sea" in the kingdom of Israel in the eighth century BC. He referred to it as having been a land of deep darkness … as having been under the yoke of a great burden, the rod of an oppressor. How true! The Assyrians had invaded and conquered most of the kingdom, killing, imposing oppressive rule, and exiling many people. In spite of this horror, these conquered and oppressed people of faith remained confidence in their God's loving kindness … and therefore in the future! This prophetic hymn declared their faith that God would, "in the latter time … make glorious this way by the sea" - that the loving kindness of God would deliver them and liberate them once again from their bondage and oppression. What faith! And then, in the first century AD, Matthew witnessed in his writings of the fulfillment of this prophecy, of this confident faith. Ultimate glory had indeed come to "the way by the sea!" The Galilean people of the first century had been oppressed by the Roman occupation, lost in Greco-Roman paganism and burdened down by the corrupted understanding of the Jewish law. The people sat in darkness, in the shadow of death!

Wonderful, yet self-limited kings like David and Hezekiah had been sent by the love of God in the past, but this time God sent, what Matthew called, "a great light." And what was the word of God that was proclaimed in this Light? "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."

But, why the analogy of "light" … and what's this call to "repent?" …How about first considering the light?

My son, Bobby, entered his first science fair in second grade. Because Linda has a green thumb, they decided to experiment with the growth of plants. He took two small green plants and placed one on a sunny windowsill and the other in a cardboard box … like this one (hold up the box). After a couple of weeks, Bobby checked on the two plants. The one on the windowsill had grown a couple of inches and had vibrant green leaves. The one in the box had actually grown a bit, but it had lost all of its green color, becoming almost white and its leaves drooping. Thinking that the plant might die, Bobby cut a hole in one side of the box, like this, and set the box, with the plant inside, by the windowsill … with the hole facing toward the incoming light. Well you know what happened … but Bobby was so excited by this discovery! Yes, over the course of a few weeks, the plant began to grow out through the hole! And, a couple of weeks later, it turned to grow up toward the light (start inching the rose up and out) and even blossomed --- like this rose! The plant that had been in gloomy darkness … and was all but dead … had seen a great light, it turned toward that light and blossomed!

Well, Matthew wrote … after the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ … and therefore with the full realization of who this man of God was … he wrote that the Light had certainly dawned on the people by the sea, the kingdom of heaven had definitely come near; it had dawned and come near in the person of Jesus Christ … in the personified love and power of God that makes people … different … alive!

Jesus proclaimed the word of God saying, "Repent!" Repent, now what does that mean? Well, the translation from the original Greek is simply … "to turn." (hold up the rose) Just as the sun was the light that Bobby's plant turned to for life, God's love as revealed in the birth, life, teachings, crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the Light for the life God desires for all. So, Jesus, the Light of the world, walked along the waterfront proclaiming "turn" … "turn toward the Light … and by this I will make you different, alive … I will make you a reflection of my Light for others."

I walked along the waterfronts of NJ and NY for two weeks this month. With all the trucks and commotion going on, I thought I should just turn around and return to peaceful little Burtonsville, MD. But, I turned back to the call and accompanied a full-time Episcopalian-chaplain in visiting crews aboard oil tankers, container ships, car carriers and bulk carriers, while they were in port loading and offloading. …By the way, did you know that a car carrier ship can hold as many as 5,000 cars?! Those ships were huge!

Now, it's important for you to know that I wore a clerical collar for those two weeks - you know … those ones that Catholic and Episcopalian priests wear. (Aside) But my shirt was maroon, not black! Still though, Linda's Mom, who is a devout Catholic and still leaves holy water, statues of the Virgin Mary and crucifixes on Linda's dresser in hopes that she might return to the faith of her youth, heard about my wearing a collar and thought that I had finally seen the light! I assured her that I had, but in spite of the collar, I was still a Methodist.

Anyway, one evening it was raining and the bitter cold wind was blowing strongly. Father Cho and I went on board a tanker and were led by the First Mate to a dimly lit room where a few guys were sleeping and the rest were only half awake watching the television. As we greeted them and wished them a happy new year, we found that they were all Filipinos in their twenties. They responded to our greetings --- reverently saying "Happy new year to you also, father." And they immediately wanted to know if we desired anything - coffee, tea, juice, some food? We were there to serve them, but they, mostly all Catholics, responded to the collars and immediately wanted to serve us!

But actually, these guys were quite glum. You see, most of them had been away from their families for 6 to 8 months and had 2 to 4 more months left before they would get 1 to 2 months off 'til the next ship out. To add to that, tanker crews were not allowed to leave their ships at Port Newark due to terrorist fear … that someone might turn them into floating bombs! This particular ship had just crossed the Atlantic and hadn't been in a port for 14 days! That meant that those guys hadn't talked to loved ones back home in at least 14 days … not even to wish them a merry Christmas or a happy new year!

Specifically for that reason, we had brought calling cards and cell phones on board with us. Excitement filled the air as each of the 21 guys came alive and clamored to use 1 of our 3 phones to call home. The lights were turned on and incredible joy and laughter filled the previously gloomy room as they talked to parents, girlfriends, wives and children. Half jokingly but half seriously, we told the guys they had to end their calls by saying, "I love you." It was funny to hear ribbing each other by mimicking one who just hung up (in a high-pitched voice), "I love you darling. I love you darling." The transformation, the renewed life in those guys was great!

After 4-and-a-half hours of being on the ship, these guys were transformed - their day was brightened and a sense of community and family was restored. We talked about the wonder of God's love and, as we left, they each said, "Thank you so much, father." I was so moved to know that their thanks was not only to us, but also to God, to the one true Father, for having sent us. Our collars, our service to them and our sharing of the love and the word of God spoke the Presence, the Light of Christ … and it turned them around. What a blessing it was to have brought the Light of Christ to those guys and to see it turn them from gloom to joy … and to know that they saw us not simply as do-gooders or guys selling phone cards, but as the love of God, the Light in their midst!

The effect on those Filipinos, like that on Bobby's plant, was the effect that Jesus had on the disciples that day as he called them … it brought forth renewed life, renewed purpose. Referring to Jesus as the Light is so appropriate and so powerful! It's hard to imagine choosing not to turn toward such a Light!

Imagine for a moment being Peter, Andrew, James or John, casting out or mending your nets on the sea. Suddenly you sense a great light that strangely warms you to the depths of your heart, you are fully open to it, and it calls out to you saying, "Follow me; turn to my Light, to the love of God that you sense has come near to you." "Follow me and I will make you fishers of women & men, of boys & of girls." You aren't really sure of what's happening. You're a middle-class laborer whose whole identity, living and security has been wrapped up in your job. But, like Bobby's plant, you are drawn to the Light and "IMMEDIATELY you turn, leave your nets and followed him." Beloved, the Light of the world has come near to us again today. If we are open to it and if we desire a far better life and world for the sake of ourselves, for those around us, for our children and for our children's' children --- and for the sake of the sacrifice of Christ --- then we must continue the turn toward that Light. We must remember our identity as beloved children of God, disciples of Jesus Christ, and constantly seek to grow, to act and to speak as such - so that others will also come to sense, to see, to hear and to know that same Light, that same good news. As we turn and follow closer to Christ, we become a mirror to the Light; and those still lost, those still burdened down, those who are blind to the truth and deaf to the call of Christ eventually also sense, see, hear and turn. ...How else are disciples of all nations to be made?

Beloved, Jesus calls us again today to repent, to turn closer toward him. Jesus calls us to remember our identity and to discern in what ways we are not faithfully living in the Light of the Lord our God. We are human; and therefore, there is always in us some degree of turning from the will of God for our lives. God is calling us as disciples of Jesus Christ to examine our lives and to discover what we need to turn from and how to turn more directly toward the Light. Think for a moment; specifically identify what you hear God calling you to turn from. Name it to yourself. (Pause) We're now going to do something a bit different now than we typically do in a sermon. If you feel comfortable with it, close your eyes and lay your hands on your laps with your palms open upward toward the Lord above. Let us pray.

Dearest Lord Jesus, help us to keep our eyes on you … that we may always follow you. You are the divine love made human, you are the expression of the Father's infinite compassion, you are the visible manifestation of the ever-present Spirit. In your Light all life finds its being … outside of it there is only withering. To you we offer up what we have mistakenly made as our priorities … our excuses … our idols … our fears … our complacencies … our sense of power and control … and our vices in life. We open our hands to you, knowing that you take away these sins of the world … and they are gone … they are forgiven and exist no more. We know that the only way they return is if we turn and take them back again. Give us strength and resolve to leave them in your hands. Release us to live in your peace. With thankfulness, praise and joy we ask this. And all God's people said, Amen.

Now, think again; this time, specifically identify what you hear God calling you to turn toward, what God is calling you to do in order to grow more in the Light. Think of the goal: to grow in your discipleship and to be fishers of people for God. Name it to yourself. (Pause) Now again, if you feel comfortable with it, close your eyes and lay your hands on your laps with your palms open to the Lord above. Let us pray.

O God our God, we believe in you, we hope in you, and we love you, because you have created and recreated us, brought us back to know and to trust in your love and to mature us in that love. Increase our faith, strengthen our hope, deepen our love, and empower our trust and obedience to your call on our lives --- that turning ourselves wholly toward your Light, to opening our hands and our whole selves to receive your call to us today, we may follow you and serve you faithfully all the rest of our lives … to be made and to make disciples of your Son, Jesus Christ. For, it is through His name that we pray. And all God's people said, Amen.

And now Beloved, know the Light of Christ that fills your whole being. Leave your burdens with Him and immediately respond to the call that God has placed in your hands, you mind and you heart today. Pray on these things this week and know that by the grace of God you too have been called. Know the joy that continued growth in discipleship will bring and in being further equipped and made to be fishers of others for the sake of Christ … and therefore for the sake of all of God's creation. As the Spirit moves you, make known your call to Rev. Boyer, to me, to Paul Gowen our lay leader, or to another brother or sister in Christ. There are many ways at Oak Chapel to grow and to serve the Lord - become a bigger part of them. In addition to these, we will start, in next couple of weeks, to develop a new member program and shortly thereafter, to identify and then to act on the vision that God is calling this congregation to for the next one to three years. And, we will begin, the week after next, a new and exciting study called "Witness" - in the young adult Sunday school and an evening Lenten study will begin on February 24. But, the opportunities do not stop there. Your call is equally important to God and may be a part of the new vision that God is calling all of us to --- therefore, let it be made known.