Sunday, January 6, 2008
Matthew 2:1-12
Senior Pastor
Have you ever played poker? One of my grandfathers had a very strict experience growing up as a Methodist with his aunt. She said Methodists didn’t believe in playing cards, because it led to gambling and drinking and all kinds of bad choices. Some of you may have grown up that way and in fact playing poker can lead to those kinds of choices. But my grandfather did not completely buy into that kind of Methodism and he played poker and he taught me how.
When my grandparents would come to visit for the Christmas holidays we would often play a little poker. After dinner and after the presents were opened and the kitchen cleaned up someone would pull out a deck of cards and some poker chips. We would all gather around the table and play for fun. We would all start with the same amount of chips. If I won a hand I would quickly calculate how much ahead I was and take those chips off the table. I always wanted to hold some chips back. I was not likely to ever push all of my chips to the middle at once. I am not that kind of risk taker.
But, have you ever seen the World Series of Poker on TV? A poker game called Texas Hold ‘Em has become very popular and they play for huge amounts of money. Tens of thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars are bet on a single hand. In these high stakes games, sometimes a player will push all of their chips to the middle and say, “I’m all in.” That means he or she is betting all they have that they are right, that they have the best hand. I cannot imagine risking that kind of money on the luck of the draw.
Yet, there is something intriguing to me about a person who
is so bold. There is something
attractive about that kind of commitment. I think I can learn something about myself and my faith in
considering that kind of decision. They
are just betting money. But, I wonder
what does it take to bet everything that you are right? I wonder is there anything on which I
would bet everything? Is my faith in
Christ even that sure? Is yours?
John Wesley, founder of Methodism wrote a sermon called, An Almost Christian. In that discourse he considered what makes a real Christian as compared to an almost Christian. He concludes that we can do many things that mimic Christian behavior but unless we are fully devoted to Christ we are still almost Christians. Unless we trust wholly in God’s grace come to us through Christ, we are still, at best, only almost Christians. In fact, he says he believes that he has basically been an almost Christian most of his life.
Yet, he is calling on any who would listen to attend to a higher calling. “The great question of all, then, still remains. Is the love of God shed abroad in your heart? Can you cry out, ‘My God and my All!’ Do you desire nothing but [God]? Are you happy in God? Is God your glory, your delight, your crown of rejoicing?
Then he goes on without pausing to ask, “And is this commandment written in your heart, that he who loves God loves his brother also? Do you then love your neighbor as yourself? Do you love every [human], even your enemies, even the enemies of God, as your own soul? As Christ loved you? Yea, do you believe that Christ loved you, and gave himself for you? (Wesley’s Standard Sermons, Sermon #2 – The Almost Christian)
Or to put it in poker parlance: Are you all in? Are you fully committed to being a Christian? I find myself falling somewhat short on that one. I am afraid I am still holding a few chips back.
Matthew paints a picture in this story of the wise men that can cast some light on this examination of our commitment. He really does not tell us very much about these men. But he does tell us that they have traveled cross-country to pay him homage. They have come from another country into Bethlehem of Judea to make contact with this king of the Jews. Now I don’t know about you, but anybody who will pick up and travel, by camel most likely, maybe on foot, across their country and into the heart of another country has a pretty high level of commitment. Now these guys may not be Christians and we are never informed as to how this impacted the rest of their lives, but I am impressed with this commitment portrayed here in Matthew 2. I think they are “all in.” I think they are betting all they have on Jesus being the real deal.
And then when they get to meet him, Matthew tells us that they were overwhelmed with joy. (v. 10) Overwhelmed with joy - now that is a great experience. I like living life being overwhelmed with joy. Right there is the good news for you and me. Because when we meet Jesus and we have come with a heart intent on paying him homage, that is respect or reverence or coming with a humble heart, we will experience the same thing. Our relationship with Jesus can bring us overwhelming joy.
But I think that pure joy flows up all over you when you are all in – when you are truly and fully or, as we like to say around here, deeply devoted. I suspect that with deeper devotion comes deeper joy. I believe great love involves great risk. Could it be that great devotion involves great risk, as well?
Are you willing to risk it all on Jesus? Are you willing to examine your life and refresh your commitment in this new year to Christ? Or as Wesley put it: “Can you cry out, ‘My God and my All!’”
It is a choice we make over and over again in life. To grow as Christians we have to keep choosing to commit ourselves and our lives. You may remember that Wesley rode by horseback all across England back in the late 1700’s to lead the Methodist movement. He was fond of holding a service with the Methodist people each time he was with them in which they renewed their commitment and their covenant with God. When we get to the liturgy for Holy Communion we will be using a form of Wesley’s Covenant Prayer from this service. The ministers of our Oklahoma United Methodist Conference gather each year in January in Oklahoma City and during our time of worship we actually use Wesley’s service and reaffirm our commitment to God and one another.
The prayer is printed in your bulletin. I invite you to consider it while you wait your turn at Communion so that you might avail yourself more fully to God’s power this year. I truly believe as we do so, we too will experience the overwhelming joy in our lives, just like these wise men did in that year, so long ago. Amen and thanks be to God.
Have you ever played __________?
I am not that kind of ________ taker.
There is something attractive about that kind of
___________________.
I wonder is there anything on which I would bet
everything?
Is my faith in ____________ even that sure? Is yours?
…a sermon called, An _____________ Christian.
Yet, he is calling on any who would listen to attend to a
higher ______________.
Are you all in?
Are you fully committed to being a
__________________ ?
…I am impressed with this commitment portrayed here
in Matthew 2. I think they are “______ ____.”
…that they were overwhelmed with ______. (v. 10)
Could it be that great devotion involves great risk, as well?
“Can you cry out, ‘My God and my _______!’”
…so that you might avail yourself more fully to
__________
power this year.
Kid’s Question: What happens when the wise men meet Jesus?