Summer at the Movies

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Sermon 3 – Summer at the Movies Series based on Invictus

Luke 6:37-42

June 27, 2010

Jim Whittaker

I. Tie to the Movie (Intro)

In the movie Invictus, Nelson Mandela just elected as the first black president in South Africa in 1994, ended the apartheid regime of political racism. Nelson Mandela in real life co-received with President deKlerk the Nobel Peace prize in 1993. Mandela tried non-violent resistance as a way to end racism and the late 40’s and early 50’s but switched to a tactic of sabotaging the government because he said non-violent resistance was not working. This resulted in his arrest in conspiracy against the government in the 1960’s. He was sentenced to life in prison where he spent the next 27 years. His time of presidency was known for his stance on peace and reconciliation. In the movie as in real life, Nelson Mandela used the National Rugby team and the 1995 World Cup to bring unity to the nation. What is inspiring about the movie is that Nelson Mandela does not use revenge or allow the nation to move into hatred. He sets the course for the nation. The poem that gave life to him was titled Invictus. At the end of the poem it says, “I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” It is all about choice.

Preacher Rob Bell said each day we have a choice – we either bring a little of heaven or a little of hell to earth. Which is it? That is an interesting question.

The inspiration of the movie is when Nelson Mandela made a choice in regard to the nation. He chose to bring a little heaven to earth rather than a little hell. When he was questioned about his tactics and plans for the future, he stated:

The rainbow nation starts here.

Reconciliation starts here.

Forgiveness starts here. It liberates the soul and removes fear.

In real life Mandela says, “If there are dreams about a beautiful South Africa, there are also roads that lead to their goal. Two of these roads could be named Goodness and Forgiveness.” Nelson Mandela

When questioned about forgiving those who had carried him and others to jail Mandela in the movie said, “We have to surprise them with compassion, restraint, and generosity.”

When he is own daughter criticized his tactics, he told her, “you are speaking out of selfishness.”

When the sports broadcaster asked Nelson Mandela how could he now support the Spring Boks rugby team when in the past he was against them since they represented apartheid, he responded by saying, “If I cannot change when circumstances demand it, how can I expect others too.”

I do not purport that Nelson Mandela was a saint, but when he was faced with a fork in the road with two choices: hatred, fear, and revenge or love, compassion and forgiveness, he chose the latter.

II. Tie to the Text (Build on the theme of Forgiveness)

In the gospel of Luke, forgiveness is mentioned 17 times. It is the Greek word aphemi. This word is actually used much more than is translated as forgiveness. It’s traditional meaning is to let go, to leave behind or to abandon. In a more religious sense, forgiveness means the sin is held in no account. As far as the east is from the west so far has God moved our transgressions the scripture says, but it also means acceptance of the individual before God. So the sin has no more power over us, and we are totally accepted before God. That is what it means to receive forgiveness.

We are dividing forgiveness into two categories. One – the forgiveness we receive, and two – the forgiveness we give others. We will look at forgiveness we receive this morning, and the Sunday evening sermon will be the forgiveness we give others.

In Luke ch. 5, Jesus makes it clear in healing of the paralyzed man that being forgiven of your sins is more important than being healed physically. In other words, Jesus put the priority on spiritual healing rather than physical healing. Jesus healed physical needs to show that he could also heal spiritually. In Luke 5:24, he says “so you will know that the Son of man has authority to forgives sins, he said to the paralyzed man, get up and walk.”

In Luke 6, Jesus says, forgive so you can be forgiven.

In Luke 7, a woman of ill repute is so remorseful of our sins and excited about the message of forgiveness that Jesus brings that she washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and she anoints him with an expensive gift of anointing oil. He responds by telling her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

Jesus saw what others were missing – people need to know that their sins are forgiven. How can we begin to choose to bring a little heaven on earth if we are living in a personal hell.

The first step in receiving forgiveness is admitting that there is sin. Make no mistake about it. This is a big first step. Let’s look at things that could prevent us from putting ourselves into God’s forgiveness.

III. Stumbling blocks to Forgiveness

Independence

We the people of America are fiercely independent. We strive to be self made men and women. We do not want other people’s help. We can do this ourselves. If we ask for help, it will be a sign of weakness. Honestly, we are reluctant to even ask God for help. The first step to forgiveness is in realizing that in admitting our weakness we can find strength.

Pride

We do not like to take this first step toward forgiveness. Pride prevents us.

Proverbs 16:18 – Pride goes before destruction and an uplifted spirit before the fall.

God says he will lift up the humble.

Refusing to let go.

There is the young lady who was abused as a child. She cannot forgive her abuser, nor herself, nor the nonabusing spouse. The mother of the young lady cannot forgive herself because she remained silent, and pretended that the abuse was not going on. This abuse though it happened years ago is still alive because forgiveness has not been given.

There is an older man who still has not forgiven the drunken rage his father put on the family. His father has been dead for 20 years. It is in the past but somehow is still alive. He father continues to victimize this man even though he is dead. The only way that it can be stopped is to do what the most basic meaning of the word forgive means: let go. Leave it behind.

The past is the past. To remain in its power, is to not have accepted God’s forgiveness.

(While naming these fill a backpack with books to demonstrate the load we carry).

Pride will keep us from bringing our shortcomings to God.

An unrepentant heart will not see the need to forgive so we carry those burdens.

That white lie is too small to ask for forgiveness.

That abortion that no one knows about is too big to ask for forgiveness.

This might be a sin for others but I think I can carry the load.

(Put the backpack on)

God doesn’t want us to carry such a load.

Psalm 32:1, “Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

IV. Building a Foundation for Forgiveness

Each one of us needs forgiveness. Here are the steps toward forgiveness:

1) Admit our own shortcomings, hurtfulness, bad decisions, anger and pride.

“We cannot confess something we have not owned.”

2) Let go of any baggage we are carrying. Jesus said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

3) Place yourself under the spotlight of God’s completely accepting love as a human with human faults knowing that God will not hold your past against you nor your future. God is a forgiving God.

4) By the power of God’s love, vow in your heart that you will change your allegiance to a fully committed Christ follower.

- no more will past sins control your life, you have been forgiven – that is what forgiveness means – a release from your past.

"Dear Abby," a woman says: "I have something to say to the millions of families whose lives are affected by divorce. An unforgiving and bitter person who has not let go of animosities can poison an entire family and ruin the holidays for everyone. I know. I was that person." The writer, who signs herself as "Free in Vermont," explains she could not forgive her former husband and his new wife, and her children suffered her ensuing bitterness. "One day after a particularly harsh outburst, I understood the pained reaction on my children's faces. I prayed for the strength to change my ways so that I could stop hurting those I love most in the world." Although it was difficult for "Free in Vermont" to extend forgiveness, she did so and says:

"I have peace in my heart and my children are happy. They are free to enjoy both homes." Forgiveness is a priceless gift which you can give to yourself and your family.

- no more will present addictions and lusts rule your life. God proclaims we are a new creation.

- no more will the threat of a sinful future keep me from living into God’s kingdom today. I will choose whom I serve.

Lewis Smedes, a professor of ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California, and author of Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don't Deserve, tells of his rage toward a police officer who brutalized his young son, John. The officer was a large 250-pound lawman who assaulted his 140-pound son and then charged him with resisting an officer. Although the charge was quickly dismissed, Smedes's rage and hostility were not so quickly appeased. Realizing that his intense feelings toward the police officer were creating a personal emotional crisis, Smedes knew he had to find a way of forgiving.

"I tried a technique that everything in my temperament resisted," he writes. "I thought about how a priest gives instant absolution to a penitent, right off the bat, in the confessional booth. And I decided to give this cop absolution. 'In the name of God I hereby forgive you-go in peace,' I said out loud, at least six times. It worked enough to get me going. I felt myself pried a couple of inches off my hate. And I was on my way."

Rob Bell reminds us that everyone is serving someone or something. We are all believers. We all believe something.

Do we believe in a forgiving God? Then live in forgiveness. Do not accept anything less than God’s love and forgiveness.

Story:

This is a story told from South America. There is a woman who has visions from God. People are coming from all over to hear and see her visions. The local priest does not believe that these visions by this woman are legitimate, and he decides to put her to the test. He goes to the lady and says I understood you have visions from God and talk to God. She says, yes. He says I want you to ask God something, and if he tells you the answer to my question, then I will believe God is speaking through you. She said Ok, what is your question? The priest says I committed a sin while I was in seminary that I haven’t been able to forgive myself of. Ask God what that sin is and I will believe God is speaking. A week or so later he ran into the woman. The priest asked the woman did you speak to God and ask the question that I wanted you to ask God. She said yes. Did God speak to you. She said yes. At this point the priest is getting excited and is on the edge of his seat. What did he say, the priest asked. The woman said when I asked Jesus about your sin, he said he chose to not remember it. It has been forgiven.

V. Avoid Confusion with Forgiveness

Forgiveness does not mean:

1) Forgetting – Some sins we encounter are to painful to forget. The key is that sin no longer controls us. The sin of apartheid in South Africa and the sin of our own slavery abuse will not go away.

2) Weakness – While we can forgive someone for a wrong, that does not mean we want to be a door mat for further abuse or hurt. To forgive someone is not to invite someone to hurt us again.

3) Condoning – We should not give excuses for sin ours or others.

Accepting Forgiveness is a gift:

A former inmate of a Nazi concentration camp was visiting a friend who shared the ordeal with him.

"Have you forgiven the Nazis?" he asked his friend.

"Yes."

"Well, I haven't. I'm still consumed with hatred for them," the other man declared.

"In that case," said his friend gently, "they still have you in prison."

That story points out this reality: ultimately, forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. Bitterness and anger imprison you emotionally. Forgiveness sets you free.

Choose today to be set free in Christ. In the name of Christ, you are forgiven. Amen.

Father's Day Break

Sermon – When the Weight of the World is on your Shoulders

I Kings 19:1-15

Father’s Day; 4^th Sunday of Pentecost

Jim Whittaker

The noted author, John Killinger, tells a powerful story about a man who is all-alone in a hotel room in Canada. The man is in a state of deep depression. He is so depressed that he can’t even bring himself to go downstairs to the restaurant to eat.

He is a powerful man usually the chairman of a large shipping company but at this moment, he is absolutely overwhelmed by the pressures and demands of life… and he lies there on a lonely hotel bed far from home wallowing in self-pity.

All of his life, he has been fastidious, worrying about everything, anxious and fretful, always fussing and stewing over every detail. And now, at mid-life, his anxiety has gotten the best of him, even to the extent that it is difficult for him to sleep and to eat.

He worries and broods and agonizes about everything, his business, his investments, his decisions, his family, his health, even, his dogs. Then, on this day in this Canadian hotel, he craters. He hits bottom. Filled with anxiety, completely immobilized, paralyzed by his emotional despair, unable to leave his room, lying on his bed, he moans out loud: “Life isn’t worth living this way, I wish I were dead!”

And then, he wonders, what God would think if he heard him talking this way. Speaking aloud again he says, “God, it’s a joke, isn’t it? Life is nothing but a joke.” Suddenly, it occurs to the man that this is the first time he’s talked to God since he was a little boy. He is silent for a moment and then he begins to pray. He describes it like this: “I just talked out loud about what a mess my life was in and how tired I was and how much I wanted things to be different in my life. And you know what happened next? A voice!! I heard a voice say, ‘It doesn’t have to be that way!’ That’s all.”

He went home and talked to his wife about what happened. He talked to his brother who is a minister and asked him: “Do you think it was God speaking to me?” The brother said: “Of course, because that is the message of God to you and everyone of us. That’s the message of the Bible. That’s why Jesus Christ came into the world to save us, to deliver us, to free us, to change us and to show us that ‘It doesn’t have to be that way.’ A few days later, the man called his brother and said, “You were right. It has really happened. I’ve done it. I’ve had a rebirth. I’m a new man. Christ has turned it around for me.”
(from: sermons@clergy.net)

What a wonderful story of a new birth. What we often forget that is we continually need rebirths. Becoming a Christian will not be the end of your worries. Hopefully, you worry less, and I believe that if we are truly allowing God to lead us, we will have more joy. When I read this story, it hit home to me. I can remember travelling for Farm Bureau and being 5 hours from home in a hotel room, and saying so this is what my life has come down to – a lonely night in a strange town.

You may also hear this story speak to you. Life has thrown some complications that we never expected. Our parents age. Our children grow up. There is sickness. Less than perfect decisions. Even the dream of our way of life, a family with a house and 2 cars maybe difficult or impossible to attain or if we have attained it, it doesn’t seem quite like what we thought it would be. We might be tempted to throw a pity party, and if that thought rings a bell, then you are not alone. Today we join Elijah. The great prophet of the Old Testament. He was the one that challenged the prophets of Baal and called upon God to deliver fire from heaven. He is the man. From a prophet or preacher standpoint, he is successful. He is the dream, and he is depressed. What can we learn from Elijah for this Father’s Day?

I. Facing Reality

There is a saying “nothing is quite as bad as it seems,” or as Paul says, “I suppose that this present suffering cannot be compared to the glory that will be revealed.” We would call that getting things in the proper perspective. We can easily get our focus on all of the negative things and lose sight of the positive things.

When the scriptures tell us that “Satan is seeking those he can devour,” make no mistake about it, if your focus is on the bad things, if your mindset is negative, if you believe things cannot be accomplished, then Satan is working on you. He would love to devour you and to destroy your life (I Peter 5:8). Satan wants families to be separated and to be fighting. Satan wants families out of church. Satan wants you to be controlled by addictions and your desires. Satan wants you to lose your way. If you cannot exclaim with Paul, “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice” (Phil 4:4), then Satan is trying to steal your joy of the Lord away from you. For we as Christians are to be joyful. It does not mean everything is perfect, but it does mean that we know whose we are and where we are going. Last Sunday, we talked about living into God kingdom (his new heaven and new earth) right now. Jesus said in Matthew 11:17 that the “kingdom of heaven has suffered violence.” He was speaking in reference to the evil and violence that had came to the great prophet John the Baptist where Jesus clearly says John the Baptist fulfilled the scriptures as Elijah returned. Satan was to bring us violence or evil. No wonder Paul in Ephesians 6 talks about us being equipped for battle so that you maybe able to “stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:11). We need to realize that living into the kingdom of God now will put us on the battlefield. Satan wants us to remove our eyes on Christ and to look only at ourselves. Let’s look at Elijah and his preoccupation with his self and his problems.

The reality is Elijah even with his spectacular career is one burned out preacher.

1. Elijah is frozen with fear – “He was afraid” and “he fled for his life.” (19:3)

Satan knows what immobilizes us as a man or woman of God – fear. Eventhough Elijah had just called fire from heaven on top of Mt. Carmel and defeated the prophets of Baal. He led the charge to remove the prophets of Baal from the land. Baal was a fertility of the land type of worship, or a fertility of crops. Baal was a type of prosperity god and to worship any other god rather than God almighty was breaking the 10 commandments. Elijah had brought a defeat to this false worship. He challenged the prophets of Baal to bring fire from heaven, and then he would do the same. He must have been on some type of high, but that was quickly broken as Jezebel sent a message to intimidate and scare Elijah. She said, just as you killed the prophets of Baal, I will kill you by this time tomorrow.

In the face of a crisis, what do you do? Elijah didn’t take time to consult with the Lord. The stress of the battles with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had just taken their toll. He was worn out, and stressed out. He just wanted out of Dodge. The easiest answer to a crisis is to try to remove ourselves from the crisis. Of course, many times we still have to come back and face that crisis.

Families, who do you call upon when a crisis hits you? Is avoidance of the crisis the answer?

2. He is depressed – “Just let me die” (19:4). Elijah felt like it just couldn’t get any worse than this. He had hit rock bottom. He ran as far as he could and cried unto God take me on home. You are depressed when you just give up or when you cannot get yourself to do something. It might even be attending church, a Bible study, a work day. You are depressed, when you say we cannot do this as a family. I am not trying to make a simplistic response to a complex life situation, but the reality is when we give up and cannot perfrom – depression is part of the symptom.

3. He is exhausted – “he lay down’ (19:5) and “he lay down again” (19:7). Exhaustion often follows depression. Exhaustion will certainly follow those who are burned out. Elijah couldn’t do anything but sleep and eat. This is not a place where we can live. Something has to give. Elijah’s problem boils down to too much work, too much stress, and he has taken the whole weight of the world on himself. There is nobody but me. He can’t take that much pressure, and he needs release.

4. He feels alone and unappreciated – “I am alone left and they are seeking my life” (19:10)

Nobody can do it all on their own. Here is a mighty man of God broken because Satan got him to look at himself and to take his eyes off of God. When you are burned out, you need filled up.

You know the Bible speaks of someone else that has had the troubles of the world dumped upon him. His name is Job. In Job’s story, Satan is identified as wanting to stir up trouble in Job’s life, but he has to get permission from God. The short of the story is he loses everything and becomes diseased. Even his wife says curse God and die. This is bad. All of his friends called him a sinner and said he needed to confess his sins to God. This is a case where everything went bad, and Job didn’t look at himself but he remained with his eyes on God. God blesses him for enduring the attack by Satan and restores what he had and even more. Keeping your eyes on God is the way we survive the evil in this world delivered by Satan. So how does God help in this situation?

II. Finding God

If you felt any of these symptoms of Elijah, you need help. You need to get reconnected with God. Now the good news is this: God is already seeking you. We just need to be able to move ourselves so we can see God’s presence.

1. God manifests himself – “Suddenly an angel touched him” (19:5). Have you seen the Coke commercial where a college student is studying for an exam and has fallen asleep. There is a post it note exam at 11:30am. It is only a few minutes away. His history book has characters that come out of his book and shoot arrows at him. Someone gets in a hot air balloon and lifts the lid off of the Coke bottle. The Coca cola fizzes and wakes him just in time for him to leave for the exam. As he walks out the door, he looks back as if to ask – how did that happen? What I want you to see is God works that way. An angel touched Elijah and it woke him. Elijah hadn’t sought God yet. God had sought him. The question then becomes are we looking for a God sign in our times of difficulty and despair.

2. God provides for Elijah – there were cakes and water. “He ate and drank” (19:6) and he “ate and drank” again (19:7). God knows what Elijah needs most is a spiritual renewal. God is nudging him to return to one of the most holy sites – Mt. Horeb or Mt. Sinai where Moses received the 10 commandments. God has provided food and drink for him and encourages him to eat. He falls back asleep and Elijah is encouraged to eat and drink again for the journey will be long.

3. God gives him instruction – you have a “journey.” God tells Elijah what is needed. There is no quick and easy fix. He needs to get reconnected with God and God is guiding him in that direction. His journey is 40 days, which is a code word for long time. Remember Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days. The Israelites were in the wilderness for 40 years. Elijah begins the journey to reconnect with God.

III. Freed with a Future

God is absolutely amazing. Not only does he not leave Elijah alone, he gives him the chance to vent or to express his frustrations. God listens. God instructs Elijah to go to the most holy site that he knows. God will meet him there. For that 40 day journey, Elijah got the chance to review in his mind what he wanted to tell God – about his loneliness and frustrations. So he makes it to Mt. Sinai and goes in a cave. He is alone and it is dark.

1. God asks Elijah what is his problem? Now we know God knows that Elijah’s problem is but in praying sometimes we need to name it so we can hear it. Elijah tells God everyone has forsaken him. He has been very passionate about his work of the kingdom of God, but there is no help – he is all alone and the evil powers of the world are trying to kill him.

2. God puts things in the proper perspective. Elijah was then told to go out and stand on the mountain.

- Then a mighty wind came.

Wind normally represents God’s Holy Spirit. The spirit moved over the creation waters. As the wind blows so does the spirit. Here the wind is a mighty force. It moves Elijah. It is hard for Elijah to stand. It is dangerous to be on the mountain. The wind tries to derail Elijah. The wind could represent Queen Jezebel. She is trying to knock Elijah down. She should be a follower of the Holy Spirit of God. She is not. She is a false leader relying on the things of the world rather than God. The wind might be a reminder on how Elijah prayed and the winds came along with the rain. The wind should remind Elijah that God’s Spirit cannot be bound or told what to do.

- Then a fire came.

Fire also represents the power of the Holy Spirit. Elijah had called down in prayer the fire of God that burned his sacrifice and all of the water he had poured on his offering. Fire also represents judgment. Perhaps, Elijah felt judged by God and he realizes that he has had a failure of faith. His sin was he took fear as his guide rather than God as his guide. Fire should remind Elijah that God ultimately will be the judge of all – both good and evil.

-Then an earthquake came.

Earthquakes are supernatural events beyond the capability of humans. An earthquake should remind Elijah that God even controls nature. Nothing is beyond his control.

-Older versions say then a still quiet voice – a better literal translation is “sheer silence.” No wind, no fire, no earthquake. A silence that comes after all of these storms. In the silence, Elijah found God. God has shown him his magnificence.

3. God asks again – what are you doing here?

Elijah again repeats his problem, repeats his fears, repeats his anxieties. God has asked twice. God has listened twice. God does not say see I told you this would happen or if you had only done this and that none of this would have ever happened.

A lesson from our Heavenly Father: Ask, listen, and have compassion. Was Elijah alone? God tells him there are 7,000 others who have not bowed to the god of prosperity.

4. God gives guidance

God would not be a parent or a Father if he did not give guidance to his children. God knows the stress Elijah feels is real. God gets him far far away from the source of the stress – Jezebel and says let me show you my power. God looked at Elijah’s situation and knew that he would have to get him out of his predicament or things would not get better. Elijah is a worn out preacher. So he instructs Elijah to anoint Elisha to take his place.

Christ Jesus freed us so that we don’t have to be controlled by this world.

1. Look to God for answers to problems and life circumstances in prayer and by reading God’s word.

2. Realize God does listen to you as you pray, but you have to give God time to speak.

3. The heavenly father showed much patience and compassion to Elijah. We should all learn by his example.

You have been freed to live into God’s kingdom now. Don’t get sidetracked by looking at yourself and your predicaments. Let God show you his big picture. Let God demonstrate his love as a Heavenly Father. Satan wants to take God’s future away from you.

Yes, I remember being in a hotel bed 5 hours from home and thinking is this all there is. Without God’s perspective, we will not have joy in our life. Seek Joy, seek God. Let us face our future unafraid, because your heavenly father loves you more than you can ever know. Amen.

The New World

Isaiah 2:2-4; Isaiah 65:17; Revelation 21:1-2

June 13^th, 2010

Jim Whittaker

The movie Avatar gives us a look into the future. There we find that we are once again exploring new worlds. Instead of ships exploring earth, we are traveling light years away to new galaxies to explore the many universes. We have made an alliance with the corporate world and companies and the government are seeking valuable resources. We find ourselves on the moon Pandora – 4.3 million light years from earth. The natives called “navi” are not interested in trading or giving up their valuable resources. In fact, the mother lode of natural resources is holy ground to the natives with a tree that gives life. They will fight before they give up this sacred place. Scientists have developed a drone that looks just like a native. They are called “Avatars.” I will give you a couple definitions of “Avatar.” It is the “embodiment of hope,” or the “incarnation of evil.” An Avatar could also be defined as “an incarnation of a Hindu deity.” A soldier and a scientist have entered the tribe in their Avatar that is controlled by their mind while they are in a sleep state. They have become sympathetic to the native’s cause. This occurs just as the military are making an offensive against the natives. They are arrested for treason. Later, they escape and go back into their “Avatars.” The scientist is killed, and the soldier leads a native offensive against the military. In the end as he lies near death at the tree of life, he is resurrected or reincarnated into the Avatar. He is now a native.

This movie critiques our culture in regard to the use of war and our stewardship of the world. We are going to critique this movie in regard to its religious outlook. We look at the new world in the eyes of Avatar. What does the Bible have to say?

1. War – Can war be just?

In the movie Avatar, war is depicted now as a tool to be used by dirty politicians and a greedy corporate world. They pay no regard to the native population and only see them as something that must be done away with. We are expected to question is the war effort just in the movie? So we ask the question, can war be just? We have become increasingly reluctant to ask the question. The effort against the Japanese who bombed Hawaii in WWII was considered just. The effort that we waged against terrorist here recently was seen as just as Americans. It is difficult for us to have a truly just war. It is difficult for us to avoid war. Yet, to avoid the question, is not being true to our faith. One of the most influential theologians, St. Augustine, defined what he considered “just war.” His thinking has profoundly affected the church down through the ages. Would it surprise you to know that one of the actors – the woman scientist – that her name was Grace Augustine.

I give you the definition of “just war” – “Just War theorists combine both a moral abhorrence towards war with a readiness to accept that war may sometimes be necessary.” (Wikepedia). Catholics who have long held a just war understanding of war, confirmed that with a Papal letter in 1983. John Locke who influenced our founding fathers, was a proponent of just war. Perhaps those who have taken the strongest stance is the Quakers. I quote: “We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fighting with outward weapons.” (from www.quakers.org.uk). I give you the main components of the “just war theory.” Taken from (www.intervarsity.org)

“Just cause. All aggression is condemned; only defensive war is legitimate.” Just as we would consider bullying our children in school wrong, we consider bullying by nations wrong. It is obvious by this definition that the movie Avatar does not reveal to us a just war. Jesus said, “if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Mat. 5:39). This move is not a pacifist move, but a move to humiliate the one who tries to strike you with the back of their hand. This is non-violent opposition. The point being Jesus did not advocate aggressive tactics.
“Just intention. The only legitimate intention is to secure a just peace for all involved. Neither revenge nor conquest nor economic gain nor ideological supremacy are justified.” The golden rule applies: “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
“Last resort. War may only be entered upon when all negotiations and compromise have been tried and failed.” The just war theory recognizes sin and evil in the world and does not try to take blind eye to reality. Sometimes war is unavoidable because the attackers will not be satisfied until everyone is under their power. An example would be Germany in WWII. Germany’s Nazi killing of Jews is not a government that you want to win a war – the government was evil. Some said Saddam Hussein was similar in the killing of his people in Iraq.
“Formal declaration. Since the use of military force is the prerogative of governments, not of private individuals, a state of war must be officially declared by the highest authorities.”
“Limited objectives. If the purpose is peace, then unconditional surrender or the destruction of a nation's economic or political institutions is an unwarranted objective.”
“Proportionate means. The weaponry and the force used should be limited to what is needed to repel the aggression and deter future attacks, that is to say to secure a just peace. Total or unlimited war is ruled out.”
“Noncombatant immunity. Since war is an official act of government, only those who are officially agents of government may fight, and individuals not actively contributing to the conflict including POW's and casualties as well as civilian nonparticipants) should be immune from attack.”

This war in Avatar cannot be just. There is no just means. The idea is to annihilate the natives. There is superior and devastating force to be used. This movie I believe critiques the combining of private (corporations) with public (government) to fight wars. Christians cannot be neutral when it comes to war. War is regrettable. We send our youngest, our best, our men, and our women to fight for the noble cause of the common good of our great nation. The cause is too great to take lightly. We as citizens and Christians though we may disagree on politics and answers to the world, still need to unite in regard to war. At best, wars should be avoided. At worst, wars should be just. This means Christians should fall somewhere in between a Pacifist and a Just War Advocate.

2. Our Environment – Who is taking care of it?

In the movie Avatar, the moon Pandora is being pillaged with no regard for its inhabitants or for the sake of maintaining the environment. We as Christians have wrestled with what it means to inhabit, fill the earth, and subdue it as given in Genesis 1.

Growing up in West Virginia, we watched the New River not freeze near a chemical plant only to discover later that this is what we now call anti-freeze and deadly to drink. Back then, we dumped it into the river. When I was growing up all of the creeks near us were black. They were filled with coal dust. Several of the hills were covered with what we called slate – refuse rock from coal mining. They would catch on fire and burn the rock turning it into red dog - A red rock that we built our road to our house with. The smell of this burning rock was horrible – it smelled like rotten eggs or as I thought growing up – it smelled like home.

When you live where there has been environmental travesties, you do not have to have anyone tell you that you need to take care of the earth. While Genesis 1 has been used to pillage here on our own earth, I don’t believe we can forget the imagery of the garden in Genesis Ch. 2. Man and woman in the garden were commanded to till it, and to take care of it. We have been given earth by an act of God’s good creation – it is a gift. Our theology can make a difference how we interpret passages such as Genesis 1 and 2.

John McArthur says our “earth is a disposable planet” by basing it on the fact that there will be a new heaven and a new earth as given in the Bible and uses that as an argument against those pursuing ecological reform. from: http://go2.wordpress.com/?id=725X1342&site=groansfromwithin.wordpress.com&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gty.org%2FResources%2Fissues%2F594&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fgroansfromwithin.com%2F2010%2F03%2F15%2Ftheology-affects-ecology-quote-to-ponder-john-macarthur-repost-12308%2F%23more-360

This view ignores the consequences of how we live. How we live today, affects our children tomorrow. It makes an assumption that there is no tomorrow. Christ didn’t tell us when he was coming back. He just said he was coming back and no one would know when. This view contradicts what it means to live a holy, set apart, and sanctified life as we live out the kingdom of God until Christ comes to set up his kingdom.

3. Whose religion is it? Pantheism promoted in the movie.

After you have watched Avatar, you feel a religion of sorts. I preached a sermon months ago where I told you I could see the resurrection in Avatar, but I am looking with Christian eyes. If I step back, what I find is that the concept of resurrection and redemption are embedded in some of the movies we watch, but they are telling an incomplete story. They are telling a story of redemption without Christ. We see Christ, because we have Jesus eyes. I ask the question, without Jesus would we see something else?

I believe the answer is yes. This movie has been critiqued for offering a view of pantheism. Pantheism promotes that God and the universe are identical and that you cannot have a personal relationship with God. One of the key components of this view is the “sacredness of nature.” Our goal is to become one with the cosmos and the universe. This view fits well with Hindu and Buddhist philosophies. It also will work with those advocating reincarnation. Believe it or not, the child favorite, The Lion King has been criticized in the same way – that is it is promoting pantheism.

Paul fought this same philosophy with a group called stoics. The great theologian Augustine fought with another form that said all matter is bad. This is nothing new, but a form of redemption without Christ, is not the real story. I call for us as Christians to standup and say I know who the great redeemer is. I know where transformation is found. I do have a relationship with a personal God.

Well the title of this lesson is – what does the new world look like?

Isaiah 65:17 says, I am about to create a new heaven and a new earth. God is going to do a new thing. This new world is based on the redemption, the forgiveness of sin, and the rescue of lost sinners who badly need to know a loving God. We are all there. We are all in need of redemption. In Isaiah 2, we are told there is coming a day where worshipping God is the most important thing to do. He says the house of God is established on the highest mountain meaning this is a #1 priority. People from the entire earth will stream up to the house of God – meaning the earth will worship God as their #1 priority. There is an invitation to go.

Isaiah 2:3 says, “come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord.” Why would we want to make God our #1 priority. So we will walk in the ways of God. Our interests are not as important as worshipping God. The one thing that this world just can’t seem to get rid of will one day be defeated – war. People will live in peace.

Micah 4 also has a similar passage. When the people of God make God #1, God will teach us. We will walk in God’s ways, and Micah adds this: we will give our wealth to the Lord.

Revelation 21 says there will be a new heaven and a new earth. A heavenly Jerusalem will come down from the heavens where God will set up his rule right here on earth. This is God’s kingdom come. This is God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is what we pray for, and God is saying I am going to do it.

Avatar gives us a picture of our future. A world still filled with sin, but God sent his son Jesus to free us from sin – to free us from its power – to free us from its destruction – to free us to live for him. I am living for God’s new world, and it begins today. We live for God today. It changes how we live. It changes how we act. It changes our priorities. God changes us even when we don’t want too.

We have a future with Christ. That is the complete story. Amen.

You Give them Something

Luke 9:11-17

Summer at the Movies: Alice in Wonderland

James Whittaker

You Give them Something.

It would seem that Jesus had greater expectations from his disciples that just living life. The disciples saw a problem in their community. People were listening to the word and people needed fed. The disciples response was send them away. Ignore their plight. Pretend they do not exist. Go about your business. It is not my problem.

Jesus said you do something about the problem. The disciple’s response was we don’t have the resources. We don’t have the people. It was no we can’t, no we can’t. Jesus said, “yes you can.” Jesus was the power and as Jesus gave them bread to eat he did a holy communion type liturgy. He took the break, blessed the bread, broke the bread, and gave to his disciples. This type of Holy Communion was to show the disciples the power that is available through the body of Christ. That’s us – the church.

So I ask the question, “In Jesus has our human destiny changed?”

Alice in Wonderland is a quest for her human fulfillment. Other’s have made decisions for her, and she is struggling with those decisions. She is to get married for financial reasons. It is a marriage of business interests. The only problem is she really isn’t in love. And she as a woman wanted to be free to do more than the typical role of a woman for her time. Her destiny to find herself meant a trip back to a place of wonder. All things were not good in wonderland. Wonder had been lost. The Queen of Hearts rules with force. It was her way or the highway. If anyone disputed her it was “off with their heads.” Alice will not fall suit to being forced to the Queen of Hearts will. She later stands up to fight the evil queen’s monster – the obstacle to freedom and her own human destiny. When she defeats the dragon in wonderland, she in effect has defeated those who try to control her life in her real life existence. She stands up to fulfill her own human destiny. She does not marry, and creates her own business interests even as a woman because she is quite capable of doing so. She is living in her destiny.

From a human standpoint our human destiny is to leave a full and complete life where we have fulfilled that for which we were created. Alice is a smart business lady and she finds herself in that place.

But is that all? Is there more to destiny? Is this only part of the story? Does God have a plan for my life?

1. Our destiny begins and ends in Jesus Christ.

Rev. 20:15, “and anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Jesus said in John 10:9, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved.”

Our destiny seems to begin and end with whether we believe, accept, and live out a life in the name of Jesus. Paul says in Gal. 2:21, “I do not nullify the grace of God.” Because as v. 20 says, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

Our destiny not only begins and end in Christ, but our entire human existence is meant to be a destiny lived out for the glory of God.

Now with Alice in the movie, I do not know what God’s plan to give glory back to God through Alice was. Maybe it was being in business. Maybe it was something different. We cannot ignore the fact that our ultimate human destiny is more than meeting a grave. Our ultimate human destiny is to meet the God who created us and to stand in his presence and to be judged whether we believed in God’s grace given in Jesus Christ and then lived a life like we were filled with grace. That is our destiny.

2. The disciples were given an invitation.

Jesus said, “you give them something.” We are all given the invitation. It begins with “you.” The disciples failed to realize that God could use them. Just who they were. We too can fail to realize that God wants to use us. Here Jesus’ words, “you give them something.” There are many invitations in Luke.

Luke 14:21 says, “go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.” This is a parable where the good church people had rejected the offer given by the king to come and feast at his banquet. The King extended the invitation to all and then condemned those who ignored his plea to join him.

Luke 14:49 says, “I am sending you.”

We are given an invitation to join in with God’s kingdom building business. In other words, yes – God does have a plan for you. We have a destiny in Christ.

Jeremiah says, “for I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord plans for your welfare and not for harm to give you a future with hope.”

3. The invitation was to join Christ in his work.

When the disciples submitted themselves unto God’s rule in their life, they were obedient to the calling of God on their life. They prepared the crowd for a meal though they knew not how it would happen. They believed that God was moving them though they did not know how it was going to work out. What they did was believe and took a leap of faith.

One of the hardest things to do is to trust God with our destiny. We give ourselves to God, and very quickly take it back. We want God to use us, but then we dictate how he is to use us. We feel God leading us in a certain way, then we don’t want to take the steps necessary for God to use us.

The feeding of the 5,000 is a story where we are called to come and meet God in the time of Holy Communion. It is also a call to the church (to those who call themselves believers in the grace of Jesus) to join God in his work as the body of Christ goes to feed the world, to heal the sick, and to find the lost. Christ work mightily in this story but only as the disciples admitted their own shortcomings and then submitted themselves to God’s rule.

That is our destiny. For out of the grave we will be called to appear before God. We will be judged by our works. Our works will be judged by our belief in a grace filled God and our life of obedience to him. Is God calling you?

Amen.