Below are the Scriptures and a message for the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
Preached on Sunday, October 29th, 2017 at First Presbyterian Church, Tucumcari
Rev. Amy Pospichal
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain — that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees — as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Matthew 22:34-46
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. and a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Sermon: Arguments Amongst Friends
Your vitamins. Your cell phone. Your pickup truck. So much we depend on today, comes from a process of logic called ‘inductive reasoning,’ which gave birth to the scientific method. We can thank David Hume for that! Living in the 18th century – a Scotsman, by the way - Hume noticed that things happened because of certain conditions, and he surmised that he could reasonably predict them happening again, given the exact same conditions. This means that we can test things and gather knowledge about them. Hume’s new philosophy changed the world because it meant people could look for reasons why things happen, rather than just figuring they happened by accident, or worse, caused by the supernatural!
Mr. Hume didn’t see his discovery however, as something he thought up all by himself. He is famously quoted: “Truth springs from argument amongst friends.” See, he valued his friends who argued with him and thus helped refine his search for truth.
I imagine that because he valued arguments with his friends, things weren’t always so easy for him. Nor do they go so great between Jesus and the Pharisees. In Chapter 22 of Matthew, once again we see Jesus in a conflict with the Pharisees. It starts out as usual, with someone asking a question to test him. This time it comes from a ‘lawyer’ who carries a special title, “nomikos.” Scholars have speculated on who this ‘nomikos’ is running with the Pharisees. It is possible that he was a Gentile lawyer who was thinking of converting to Judaism, which may explain his very basic question: “What is the greatest commandment?” It’s elementary, an answer which every Jewish child had memorized. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all of your mind.” It’s so easy, Jesus volunteers the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as yourself.
So far, so good. No controversy here - yet. You’d think Jesus would leave well enough alone.
But then He comes at them with a challenge question of his own, a question about the Messiah. If the Messiah is David’s son, how is it David calls him “Lord?” They cannot answer the question. His logic, based however on Scripture, clashes with their traditional idea of an earthly Messiah.
Matthew tells us that from that day forward, they do not dare to ask him anything else. And, if you look through the rest of the book of Matthew, the Pharisees are never mentioned again. This was the last straw. If they ever regarded Jesus as a colleague or partner in their search for truth, well now, that partnership is over.
Jesus did not set out to ruin anyone’s day in his pursuit to speak the truth. He set out the reform the faith of his Father. There was no victory dance or unnecessary celebration. Rather it is a sobering reminder that sometimes when we speak the truth, not everyone is going to like it.
Martin Luther didn’t make a lot of friends when he nailed his 95 statements of faith to the church door. Convicted of the truth: that God’s forgiveness cannot be bought – Luther risked his neck. Fortunately, his friends helped him get to safety, where he could continue to work in exile. Luther didn’t try to start a new branch of his beloved Christian faith. He was committed to the Church. He hoped to reform the Roman Church of the corruption going on at that time. But 500 years ago, this October 31st, the world was changed by his choice to say what he believed. And it sparked a revolution, and a whole new set of arguments!
Writer Phyllis Tickle, in her book The Great Emergence, believed that about every 500 years the Church undergoes another reformation. She adds up the conditions for the Protestant Reformation, and points out how we are now in the midst of something new. It’s hard to prove something’s happening when you’re smack dab in the middle of it. We are in a new age of a restless pursuit of knowledge and we’re surrounded by the fallout. And if you don’t see anyone arguing about truth these days, all you have to do is turn on the radio.
In these times, we have just as important and relevant purpose in the world as we’ve ever had as God’s Faithful. Which is to pay attention. We do not agree with each other on all things we think about here. But as God’s Faithful, we don’t have to have all the answers. The Good News is we already know what we should do: Love God, love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Practice the art of forgiveness. Like Mr. David Hume seek understanding, especially in times of conflict. Seek the truth in the midst of argument. We stand like Moses at the edge of a new age, seeing as far as we can see, but God has even bigger plans. We can trust God to take us further than the eye or mind can see. Thanks be to God for all the saints in history who’ve taught us boldness and grace! Amen.
Preached on Sunday, October 29th, 2017 at First Presbyterian Church, Tucumcari
Rev. Amy Pospichal
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain — that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees — as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants’; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.” Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
Matthew 22:34-46
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. and a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Sermon: Arguments Amongst Friends
Your vitamins. Your cell phone. Your pickup truck. So much we depend on today, comes from a process of logic called ‘inductive reasoning,’ which gave birth to the scientific method. We can thank David Hume for that! Living in the 18th century – a Scotsman, by the way - Hume noticed that things happened because of certain conditions, and he surmised that he could reasonably predict them happening again, given the exact same conditions. This means that we can test things and gather knowledge about them. Hume’s new philosophy changed the world because it meant people could look for reasons why things happen, rather than just figuring they happened by accident, or worse, caused by the supernatural!
Mr. Hume didn’t see his discovery however, as something he thought up all by himself. He is famously quoted: “Truth springs from argument amongst friends.” See, he valued his friends who argued with him and thus helped refine his search for truth.
I imagine that because he valued arguments with his friends, things weren’t always so easy for him. Nor do they go so great between Jesus and the Pharisees. In Chapter 22 of Matthew, once again we see Jesus in a conflict with the Pharisees. It starts out as usual, with someone asking a question to test him. This time it comes from a ‘lawyer’ who carries a special title, “nomikos.” Scholars have speculated on who this ‘nomikos’ is running with the Pharisees. It is possible that he was a Gentile lawyer who was thinking of converting to Judaism, which may explain his very basic question: “What is the greatest commandment?” It’s elementary, an answer which every Jewish child had memorized. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all of your mind.” It’s so easy, Jesus volunteers the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as yourself.
So far, so good. No controversy here - yet. You’d think Jesus would leave well enough alone.
But then He comes at them with a challenge question of his own, a question about the Messiah. If the Messiah is David’s son, how is it David calls him “Lord?” They cannot answer the question. His logic, based however on Scripture, clashes with their traditional idea of an earthly Messiah.
Matthew tells us that from that day forward, they do not dare to ask him anything else. And, if you look through the rest of the book of Matthew, the Pharisees are never mentioned again. This was the last straw. If they ever regarded Jesus as a colleague or partner in their search for truth, well now, that partnership is over.
Jesus did not set out to ruin anyone’s day in his pursuit to speak the truth. He set out the reform the faith of his Father. There was no victory dance or unnecessary celebration. Rather it is a sobering reminder that sometimes when we speak the truth, not everyone is going to like it.
Martin Luther didn’t make a lot of friends when he nailed his 95 statements of faith to the church door. Convicted of the truth: that God’s forgiveness cannot be bought – Luther risked his neck. Fortunately, his friends helped him get to safety, where he could continue to work in exile. Luther didn’t try to start a new branch of his beloved Christian faith. He was committed to the Church. He hoped to reform the Roman Church of the corruption going on at that time. But 500 years ago, this October 31st, the world was changed by his choice to say what he believed. And it sparked a revolution, and a whole new set of arguments!
Writer Phyllis Tickle, in her book The Great Emergence, believed that about every 500 years the Church undergoes another reformation. She adds up the conditions for the Protestant Reformation, and points out how we are now in the midst of something new. It’s hard to prove something’s happening when you’re smack dab in the middle of it. We are in a new age of a restless pursuit of knowledge and we’re surrounded by the fallout. And if you don’t see anyone arguing about truth these days, all you have to do is turn on the radio.
In these times, we have just as important and relevant purpose in the world as we’ve ever had as God’s Faithful. Which is to pay attention. We do not agree with each other on all things we think about here. But as God’s Faithful, we don’t have to have all the answers. The Good News is we already know what we should do: Love God, love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Practice the art of forgiveness. Like Mr. David Hume seek understanding, especially in times of conflict. Seek the truth in the midst of argument. We stand like Moses at the edge of a new age, seeing as far as we can see, but God has even bigger plans. We can trust God to take us further than the eye or mind can see. Thanks be to God for all the saints in history who’ve taught us boldness and grace! Amen.
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