The Prologue of the Gospel of John

Christmas 1, Year B, 2002
John 1:1-18 – The Prologue of the Gospel of John
(Psalm 147 or 147:13-21; Isaiah 61:10--62:3; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7)

Sermon by Matthew Mead
Prepared for The Rev. Lillian Daniel
Religion 912a, Principles and Practices of Preaching
Final Sermon

Notes: I am trying a different style than I am have previously done. This is more of a theme sermon I think.

“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” – John 1:12-13

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. Please be seated

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have been given the right to become children of God. I cannot imagine a greater responsibility than to be a child of God. In his epistle to the Galatians Paul tells us that we become not only a child of God, but an heir. An heir! I cannot imagine a greater load of responsibility.

We have seen Jesus speak before about children, we have seen him speak about heirs. Just a few weeks ago we read in the Gospel of Matthew about two sons. The first did not do what he told his father he would do. The second did what he was told only after initially refusing his father’s request. But it is in the Gospel of Luke that we hear Jesus telling us of the most famous children: the story of the prodigal son and his brother. One goes off and wastes away all of his inheritance. The other complains he has not been treated well enough for being loyal.

What does it mean to be a child of God? Are we destined to be like one of the children in the parables of Jesus? Are we doomed to waste what we have been given or complain when we don’t get all the attention we think we deserve? Will we ever be able to not only say that we will do what God asks, but also do it? What does it mean to be a child of God? What kind of responsibility does bring along with it?

It brings a lot of responsibility. When a family owns a business everyone must chip in to make it a successful business. All of the members of the family must play a part; everyone must take responsibility. But even more than playing a part everyone must always be ready to step up and do what is needed for the business to be successful.

As heirs of God we too must take responsibility. Our responsibility is to follow the teachings of Jesus because it is through Jesus and belief in Jesus that we are heirs to God in the first place. You’re probably asking yourself exactly which teachings of Jesus we are supposed to follow. Is it all in the Sermon on the Mount? Is everything I need to know in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John? Which letters of Paul are the best ones to start in? Where do I begin and what do I need to know?

A good place to begin is today’s Gospel. In the beginning was the Word. We hear only a few verses later about John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness as a witness to the light. He came as a witness to Jesus. As heirs to God we too are called to witness to the light. We are called to spread the good news of Jesus everywhere.

That does not mean that we must go out into the wilderness, eat locusts and honey, dress in rags and proclaim that Jesus has come. We are not all prophets like John and as children of God we must all play our own part. But as Christians there are some things that we are all called to do. We are called to witness to Jesus in everything we do. Whether it is our call to worship God and give Him thanks not just on Sunday but every day, or our call to love other people as we love ourselves. Jesus himself tells us that is what we need to do.

When we do that we will have accepted the responsibility of being children of God. Being a child of God is not something that you can do in one day. When you are a child of God you are part of the family and it is a lifelong commitment. Every day you must go out and try to do what Jesus has told us to do. And if you mess up and you fail, its ok, Jesus is there for you. Jesus understands and Jesus has forgiven you.

In the third chapter of the Gospel of John we are told that all who believe in Jesus inherit eternal life, life knowing and life with God. Because we believe in Jesus we know that God is forever on our side and God will forever look on us lovingly as a child. The father in the story of the prodigal son is like God. He loves his children no matter what. If they go off for a long time and waste away all of their gifts, he loves them when they return to him. If they stay with him and complain that they deserve more he is there to encourage them and assure them that he loves them with his whole heart.

As children of God we have great responsibility but we also have great joy. In the Old Testament reading today Isaiah speaks of the joy and happiness of being a child of God. He says: “I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.”

As heirs of God we have everything we could possibly imagine and much, much more. We know God and we know that He is with us every step of the way. He is with us when we wake up in the morning and when we go to bed as night. He is with us when through good times and through bad times. He is there to comfort us when we are sad and to celebrate with us when we are happy. He is there to welcome us home when we have left Him, and he is there to assure us when we feel down that no matter what He loves us.

Believing in Jesus as Lord and God brings both responsibility and joy: The responsibility of being a part of a family and the joy of knowing and being loved by God. We have been given the gift of being children of God. I cannot imagine a greater gift than that. Jesus has given himself, he has lived and died on the cross and been raised from the dead. Because of that we have all been given the gift of being children of God. I cannot imagine a greater gift than that!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

John the Baptist's Final Witness

Advent 3, Year B, 2002
John 3:23-30 – John The Baptist’s Final Witness
(Psalm 126, Isaiah 65:17-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-28)

Sermon Preached by Matthew Mead
Saint James Church, Fair Haven, Connecticut
December 15, 2002

“The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.” – John 3:29

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen. Please be seated

“Joy to the World, the Lord has Come!” You can hear it in elevators around town, soft and smooth Muzack in stores everywhere, on TV during the commercial telling you that Macy’s is having another one-day sale. “Joy to the world all our cashmere sweaters are on sale today!” My goodness, that’s good news. Think of the savings! It’s that time of year where we are confidently told: “Jesus saves! And you can too! Come on down to Bob’s Sporting Goods and save, save, save!” Christmas is not yet here but we all know that it’s right around the corner. We can see it and hear it everywhere we go, and we are reminded that Christmas is here. Except Christmas isn’t here yet. We’re still in Advent; in fact we’re only on the third Sunday of Advent. There is still one more Sunday left after this one.

The season of Advent has historically been regarded as a penitential season. Purple is the liturgical color for the penitential seasons of the church year. During Advent the church is decorated with purple and a purple candle is lit each week in the Advent wreath. However, the Third Sunday of Advent has traditionally been seen as a break in the penitential season. On this Sunday the liturgical color is rose or pink and therefore we light a pink candle instead of a purple one in the wreath. Traditionally the rose or pink color is used to symbolize joyfulness during that break in Advent. In fact, the traditional name for this third Sunday in Advent is “Gaudete Sunday” which means, “Joy Sunday”.

Today’s Gospel also has a lot to say about joy. Let’s take a moment to open up our pew bibles to the Gospel of John, chapter 3, and take a look. I want you to think about this question as we go through the text: What is the response we should have to the coming of Jesus?

Listen to what John says when he is asked about Jesus. In verse 28 he says: You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.

John is saying several things. First, he is clearly telling those around him that he is not the Christ. He is not the Messiah that people are looking for. Well, if John is not the Christ, then who is he? He explains to them that he is sent ahead of the Christ and has been waiting for him. John compares his wait to that of the best man at a wedding while he waits for his friend the bridegroom. When that best man finally hears his friend’s voice he is overjoyed. He is overjoyed because the Messiah that he has been waiting for has come! With the coming of the Messiah John’s work is now finished. Like the best man at a wedding, John’s job now is to fade into the background because the groom has arrived.

But why is John so joyful? What does Jesus’ arrival mean for him? In fact what does it mean for us? What is the response we should have to the coming of Jesus? Joy! Not like the “joy” that’s made out of big bubble letters that you can put up on your house. Not like the “joy” that comes attached to the standard “Seasons Greetings” card. Not even like the joy of this month’s one-day sale at Macy’s. This isn’t some commercialized form of joy that you can buy in the seasonal section at the grocery store. This isn’t the type of joy that is packaged and repackaged over and over again each winter. This is a joy of a whole different type. This is the joy that John feels because we have been given eternal life!

With Jesus comes eternal life. Eternal life is the theme of the entire third chapter of the Gospel of John. Today’s Gospel reading is in the middle of that chapter and it is describing the reaction that John the Baptist has towards the coming of Jesus and eternal life. To understand the joy that John has, we have to take into account the context that today’s reading is in.

If we look in our bibles a little bit above where today’s Gospel was, at verse 16, we’ll see what kind of joy we’re talking about. It says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. God sent his only Son to save the world! All who believe in Jesus will not perish but have eternal life!

Eternal life, that’s heaven right? Well, yes it is but it’s also much more than that. Jesus himself tells us what eternal life is. In chapter 17 when he is praying to God the Father he says: Now this is eternal life: that they [meaning all of us] may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” [John 17:3].

That is eternal life, to know God. Through Jesus Christ we know God and we can be sure that we will be with God forever and He will be by our side, in this life and the next. I can’t think of anything better than that. This isn’t just good news, this is excellent news! This is the best news! This is a reason to be joyful.

This is why John is full of joy. Joy like nobody has ever had because John now knows God and he knows that God is by his side. John can only compare this joy to the feeling of joy and happiness that you get when you have been waiting for your best friend all day on his or her most important and biggest day. And when you finally hear his or her voice, you know that its all going to be awesome and you’re just blown away because you’re so happy. As wonderful as that feeling is… this is better! Eternal life with God by your side! How can it get any better than that!

It’s been nearly two thousand years since John had that joy. Two thousand years since Jesus came into the world. It’s been a long time, did this joy, like John, become lesser and lesser and finally fade out of the picture? Or is there still reason to have joy? Yes there is! I’m here today to tell you that. Yes, the joy that we have today is the same as it was all the way back when John first had it. Jesus came into this world to die for us so that all who believe in him will get eternal life. Eternal life! Think about that for a second. Think about all the good things and the bad things that we go through in our lives, all of the joy and sorrow that we feel, all of that is pain and suffering. No matter how good or how bad things are, know this: Jesus has come and because of that we have eternal life with God, not just when we leave this world for the next, but also now. This is a truly amazing thing. Jesus has given us eternal life now and forever!

I am not perfect; I am just trying to get by like everyone else. But I can tell you this. I have joy because I know that the Lord has come. Because of that, I know that I am saved. Even when I’m down and out and things aren’t going my way, I always know that God is by my side. When I think of that, like the psalmist who wrote of joy in today’s psalm, my mouth is filled with laughter and my tongue with songs of joy.

So as we get closer and closer to Christmas, remember: Jesus saves. Through Jesus we know God. As we get closer to Christmas think of the joy that John felt when he found out that the Messiah had come. When he found at that he had been saved. Think of that joy and know that we have all been given the same gift that John got. All we have to do is believe in Jesus and we will know God. To know God is to be saved because God will forever be by our side. Once we believe that Jesus has saved us we can experience that wonderful joy that John felt. As we come closer to Christmas, let us all sing out in our hearts: joy to the world, because the Lord has come!

Let us bow our heads in prayer. Almighty God, we give you thanks for sending your one and only Son Jesus Christ. Our mouths are filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy because you have sent your Son to us, to live and die upon the cross for our salvation. We ask today that you strengthen our faith in your Son Jesus so that we may more fully experience that joy that your servant John experienced at your coming to earth. Lord, we thank you, for you have done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Give to God what is God's

Proper 24, Year A
Matthew 22:15-22 – Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's
(Psalm 96, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10)

Sermon Preached by Matthew Mead
Saint James Church, Fair Haven, Connecticut
October 20, 2002

Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's, In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

There is a children’s story by Shel Silverstein called the Giving Tree. The story is about a boy and his friend a tree. When the boy is young, he plays in the tree, climbing it, eating its apples, and enjoying its shade. A few years go by and the boy grows older, he doesn’t want to play with the tree anymore; he needs other things in life. So, the tree gives him apples to sell so that he can make money. Years go by and the boy turns into a man. The man wants to build a home for his family so the tree gives him its branches to make a house with. Again, years go by and the man comes back to the tree. This time, the tree is just a trunk with no branches. When the man shows up, he wants only to leave the place he is at and travel. The tree offers its friend all that it has left; it gives him its trunk to build a boat with. Finally, when the man is old, he returns to the tree one more time. The tree tells him that it has given him everything it had to give. All that is left of the tree is a stump. Even so, the tree offers its stump for the man to sit on and rest. The tree gave all it could give; it gave its entire self because it loved its friend. In today’s gospel, Jesus is also speaks about giving. The question I present for you today is this. How does Jesus ask us to give both as citizens of this world and as citizens of the Kingdom of God?

If you will open your pew bibles, we will see what Jesus says about giving. Jesus is questioned by the Pharisees and the Herodians, two of the groups who have been trying to test Jesus. In fact, they wish to destroy Jesus. They question Jesus in order to trap him in his words by giving him a question he will get into trouble if he answers at all. They ask: “Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus, however, knows exactly what they are trying to do; they are trying to trap him. If he says yes, that it is right to pay taxes to Caesar, some of the people who feel that Rome is oppressing them will think he is selling out, and they will want no part of him. If he says no, the Romans would see him as a rebel and he could get into lots of trouble with the Roman leaders in Jerusalem. Instead of answering yes or no, he asked them to give him a denarius, one of the coins used by the Roman Empire. After they have gotten a coin, Jesus asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." With this answer Jesus does not allow himself to be trapped. In the process of avoiding their trap, Jesus gives us some instruction on how we as children of God are to live as citizens of this world.

Jesus is doing two things. He is highlighting the difference between the world we live in and God’s kingdom. Life in this world and the next are completely different and Jesus knows this. But they are also linked, and Jesus is showing us that we must be concerned with this world and the next. As citizens of this world and as citizens of heaven, it is impossible for us to completely give ourselves to one kingdom or the other. We cannot exist in this world without God just as we cannot separate ourselves from the world we live in. Only God can completely give Himself. In the Gospel of John, we are told that: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” [John 3:16] That is what it means to give completely. Only God is truly like the giving tree. Only God can give Himself completely, and He gave His only son for us so that we could inherit eternal life. Jesus was both God and man. It is through Jesus’ death as a man, as a person of this world, that we are given eternal life in the heavenly kingdom. It is through Jesus’ death that we can be citizens of heaven. His very nature demands that we too be concerned with both this world and heaven. We cannot be concerned with only one or the other; we must be concerned with both.

As Christians today, we often find ourselves wondering how God fits into our lives. How can we be citizens of heaven and still be citizens of this world? How do we fit the kingdom of heaven into our obligations to our families? Our friends? Our neighbors? Our homes? Our jobs? Our schools? Our church? Our city? Our country? How does it affect to whom or to what we should devote our time? Our money? Our energy? Just as in Jesus’ time, these are issues that we face every day. How do I juggle my obligations and still fit God in the picture? How does eternal life fit into my everyday life?

Jesus is telling us that we must combine the two into one life. We must live our earthly lives as citizens of heaven. We must use our lives to praise and glorify God. Whether we are at home, at school, at work, with our families, with our friends, or even with our enemies. Our lives as Christians must run our lives as people on this earth. He is telling us that we need to be citizens of heaven in the world. It is not a balancing act between the two, but a combination of the two into one complete life. We need to live our earthly lives for the greater glory of God.

How do we do that? How can we live our lives for the greater glory of God? Today’s psalm tells us to: “Sing to the LORD, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day.” [Psalm 96:2] God wants us to praise Him and to give Him thanks for what He has done for us. God has created us and given Himself completely for our salvation. When we are in church we are praising God but we also need to praise God every day of our lives. This morning, Fr. Little started the service by saying we need to praise God who has created us and saved us. Remember the words of today’s psalm, which tells us to praise and give thanks to the LORD day after day. Remember that God created us. Remember that God gave His one and only son Jesus to die on the cross for our salvation. Remember the words of Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians that were read and preached on several weeks ago. Paul tells us to imitate him as he presses on towards the goal. The goal is eternal life in Christ. Paul reminds us that even as people living on earth, our citizenship is in heaven. As citizens of the kingdom we must give thanks to God every day of the week, not only in what we say and what we think, but also in the way we act. Finally, remember what Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians in today’s epistle: “You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia--your faith in God has become known everywhere.” [1 Thessalonians 6-8] Jesus speaks about our citizenship in the world and our citizenship in heaven. Be citizens of heaven on earth. Be like the Thessalonians Paul is speaking to in his epistle that was read this morning. Praise God and give Him thanks every day. Be model believes to all and let your faith be known everywhere!

Let us bow our heads in prayer. Almighty God, heavenly Father, we thank you for the blessings that you have given us. We thank you for sending your only Son Jesus to us so that we may be saved and live eternal life. We ask you to help us to live our lives each and every day to glorify you. We ask that you help us to press on as we struggle and suffer in this earthly kingdom. We ask that you help us to be model believers to all. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Am

Two Sons

This was my first ever sermon, preached while I was in Seminary. A side note: I preached without any notes for this my first sermon.
Proper 21A; Matthew 21:28-32 - Parable of the Two Sons
(Philippians 2:1-13)
Sermon Preached at Saint James Church, Fair Haven, Connecticut

Almighty God, Heavenly Father, may the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be always acceptable in your site, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Yesterday I was in New York City for the Rolling Stones concert. At one point during the show, I was struck by the words that Mick Jagger sang in one song: “Every sinner is a saint.” “Every sinner is a saint.” I was reminded of today’s gospel where Jesus tells us good news about the kingdom of God in a parable. However, before we look at the parable we need to understand its context.

Jesus ministry eventually took him to Jerusalem and into the Temple where he began flipping over the moneychangers’ tables and driving them out of the Temple. Understandably, the religious leaders—the Pharisees, the elders, and the chief priests—were very upset with Jesus. They approached him in the Temple and asked him what in the world he was doing and on whose authority he was doing such things.

Instead of answering their question, Jesus asks them a question. Where, he asks, did the baptism of John come from: Heaven or men? The elders are put on the spot and realize that they cannot say from Heaven. If they do, Jesus will ask them why they did not believe John if his baptism was from Heaven. However, they realize that they cannot say his baptism was from man either. The people all thought that John was a true prophet. After all, he lived in the wilderness, he looked like a prophet, he ate locusts and wild honest—only a prophet would eat that—he spoke like a prophet, and most importantly people reacted to him like he was a prophet. John preached repentance, confession of sin, and amendment of life. His preaching was heard and accepted by many and therefore the people regarded him as a prophet. If the elders were to say he was not a prophet, the people would be very angry and very upset. Therefore, they answer Jesus’ question by saying that they don’t know where John’s Baptism came from. Jesus then responds to them by also refusing to answer their question. It is at this point in the story that Jesus tells them the parable.

If you will open up your pew Bibles we will take a look at the parable. Jesus tells us that there is a man with two sons. He goes to the first and tells him to go work today in the vineyard. Basically he is telling his son to forget about any plans he might have had—even that concert to see the Rolling Stones—because he wants him to work hard all day. The son refuses, saying:” I will not”. Later however, that same son changes his mind and goes to work in the vineyard.

The father then goes up to his second son and asks him the same thing: Go work in the vineyard today and forget any plans you might have had. This second son responds exactly as he should: “I will go, sir”… This second son, however, does not go. He does not do what he said he would do. He does not go to work in the vineyard.

Jesus then asks the Pharisees and chief priests: “Which did what the father wanted.” They answer: “The first.” This is the obvious answer but they Pharisees only know this because they know the whole story. Imagine if we were to witness the exchanges between the father and his two sons without knowing what they later did or didn’t do. We would think the first son was no good and we would think the second son was an ideal son. We might go so far as to note what a good kid he was. We wouldn’t know the whole story so we wouldn’t have any idea what the truth was. With this in mind, we wonder what Jesus is going to say next. We know already that Jesus and the Pharisees do not get along, so probably he isn’t going to say: “Hey, that’s right! We agree! You see we are on the same page after all!” Lets take a look at what he does say.

Jesus says to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.” What in the world does that mean? Why would the Pharisees, the religious leaders, the people who hold the best positions in society, follow after prostitutes and tax collectors? Prostitutes and tax collectors represent the worst type of people. They are at the bottom of the social barrel. Why does Jesus say that the prostitutes and the tax collectors will enter the kingdom of God before the Pharisees?

Jesus answers this question himself. He says: Because “John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.” The prostitutes and the tax collectors believed John but the Pharisees did not, even after they saw the effect that John’s preaching had on the people.

Jesus is telling us that John’s baptism was from Heaven. Those who believed John will enter the kingdom of God. If we look back at the parable, we see that the prostitutes and the tax collectors match up with the first son while the Pharisees match up with the second son. Jesus is using the tax collectors and prostitutes, on the one hand, and the Pharisees and chief priests, on the other hand, as examples of the entire range of people…all the way from the bottom of the barrel and the worst of the worst to the top of the heap, the best of the best. I’m not a prostitute but I’m also not a Pharisee. I am somewhere in between, we are all somewhere in between. Sometimes we might be closer to one end of the spectrum than then other but it is not possible to be lower than the bottom of the barrel or better than the best of the best.

Jesus is telling us some great news! He’s saying that even the bottom of the barrel is able to get into the kingdom of God! The kingdom of God isn’t restricted to a certain group of people. It isn’t restricted to the best people. Its open to everyone! This means we can all get into the kingdom of God!

Jesus tells us that all we need to do is believe. But, believing in John means we need to repent, confess our sins, and live a life of righteousness and that can be a very hard thing to do. Jesus himself compared this to working in a vineyard. Working in a vineyard is not easy. Jesus tells us that we need to leave everything else behind and do the hard work he is asking us to do. For some of us that sounds too hard, it might even sound impossible.

But we don’t need to worry because there is more great news and this is just as good as the other news! We need only trust in God and we know that we are not alone. In today’s epistle Paul tells us that: “it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” God is on our side. We must believe. We must trust in God. When we trust in God we know that God will help to do the hard work he asks us to do. With God’s help we can begin to lead a life of righteousness and act according to the purpose that God has set before us! With Gods help every sinner—every single one sinner—can become a saint!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.