Ephesians 1:3-14

I saw a bumper sticker once that said, "Big Bang Theory: God said it and BANG it happened!" I like that. I believe that. I like it but don't misunderstand me. I'm not one of those people who thinks that religion and science are opposed to each other. I believe that they complement each other. I believe that science glorifies God.

The fact that God created the heavens and the Earth is an article of faith. It's a given. But acknowledging that God created the heavens and the earth leads one to wonder at them in awe. Well, the heavens tell forth the glory of God, so we look to the stars as God's handiwork and the world around us to examine and marvel at the Master's handiwork.

God said, "Let there be light" and there was. What happened when the universe responded to God's command. What did it look like as that first photon of light came into existence and every photon since then? The resultant exploration led to an understanding of the miracle of nuclear fusion. And the same process that produces light produces all the elements that make up the universe.

That line of exploration also led to the theory that the universe originated some time around 15 billion years ago in a big bang. How awesome is God that all of the trillions of stars and thousand of galaxies and the miracle of life all had their origin in a point of light! That same God that spoke worlds into creation has numbered the hairs on my head and measured my tears in a jar. God said it and BANG it happened, and science gives us a deeper appreciation of just how big and awesome God's bang is.

-This has particular meaning for the passage we read from Ephesians. Paul said that God "chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world." Greek science was pretty advanced for its day. Millennia before Christopher Columbus the Greeks had concluded that the earth was round, but they though it was at the center of the universe. Basically the world was their universe. So when Paul was inspired to write the words "before the foundation of the world" that was the context.

Since then we have discovered that the universe is a much bigger and grander place. Our Sun which seems so big and powerful to us is categorized as a "yellow dwarf" star. There are trillions of other stars in the universe most of them bigger. Some much bigger. Our solar system is just one among trillions of such systems of stars and planets. In recent years astronomers have been able to find planets orbiting other stars so it appears that most stars have planets.

And the universe contains so many other wonderful and beautiful things: Quasars, black holes, nebulas, super novae. Using the Hubble Space Telescope scientists recently took a look at patches of sky where there are no visible stars and they looked with the strongest magnification that they could and you know what they found? They found whole unseen galaxies of stars. All of them playing a roll in God's intricate design of the universe.

But before any of that, before God said it and BANG it happened, God had a plan for you. God chose you in Christ before the Big Bang! More than 15 billion or so years ago. That's 15 with 9 zeros after it, God planned for you. He made arrangements for you to know him and have a relationship with him.

Before the first ray of light, God had a plan. God arranged for a small blue planet to orbit a small yellow star at just the right distance for you to live on. God planned for the proper climates and plants and animals to make your life livable. God also made arrangements for you to be forgiven and saved.

God planned before anything was created to send Jesus to die for your sins. God called Abraham and Sarah and gave them a child even though they were barren and elderly. Then from that child God created a nation of people who served and worshipped the one true God of the universe. Then God led that people out of slavery and to a promised land where eventually he sent his only begotten Son born as one of them. And Jesus lived and loved and taught and then died and rose again.

God planned all that before anything existed.

God chose us before the foundations of the world. But he didn't choose us so that we could just sit on our closeness. He chose us "to be holy and blameless before him in love." God's plan before creation included us living for Him. It included us living out His love for the world. God's plan was for us to know and love and serve Him.

But God's plan doesn't end there. He also has "a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth." Just as God had a plan to reach beyond the boundaries of Israel with Jesus, God has a plan to call all people to him. But God's plan encompasses all things. It is not just for people but "all things."

In all that God planned for you to play a role. It is God's plan that you live for Him. It is His purpose that you worship and glorify him. It is God's plan that you witness for him and spread his love through acts of charity and kindness and mercy.

The psalmist said, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?"(Psalm 8:3-4) What are we that God should consider us? How do we know that in the vastness of the universe God really is mindful of us? How can we tell that we are not lost among the quasars and galaxies and nebulas? As some consider that stars and heavens they wonder is it just wishful thinking that God is mindful of us?

But we have a seal and sign of God's true presence: the Holy Spirit. In ancient times rulers and other powerful people had seals. To show the authenticity of a document they would use their own personal seal. That seal was proof that the words on that document were actually the words of the ruler of person of power.

The Holy Spirit is God's seal on us. We can know that God is mindful of us because the Holy Spirit lives in us. We can feel and experience the living presence fop God. You are an authentic, certified and sealed child of the Almighty. God chose you before the foundations of the universe!

God said it, and BANG you happened!

Psalm 24

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and all those who dwell therein." This statement by the psalmist has a hollow ring in the modern person's ear. To say that the Earth is the Lord's doesn't mean as much today as it did in ancient times. In ancient times the world was a vast unknown place. People only heard of places that were far away. And what was beyond these places was a mystery. Their imaginations ran wild. Were there dragons beyond where no one had gone before? Would they fall off the edge of the earth? Today the world is much smaller. We can travel in hours distances that in the past people didn't travel in a lifetime. We have mapped the entire earth's surface, even the bottom of the ocean. There really are no unexplored regions of the earth. NASA has shown us that earth is a small blue ball floating in the vastness of space.

So the statement that the "Earth is the Lord's" doesn't mean all that it once did. We moderns are aware of much greater things than the Earth. Humans have begun to contemplate the universe in all its vastness. Today we know of stars and galaxies. We are aware of other planets and quasars. Black holes and pulsars now occupy our fancy. We speak not of the edge of the earth but the edge of the universe. When this psalm was written it was an expression of the vastness of God's domain. God owned all that was known: the earth. God was even in possession of all the unknown it contained. Today we can imagine the vastness of the universe, and the Earth seems so small.

But the Psalmist's words are still true. This Psalm is praising God because God is great. It is trying to acknowledge that all that exists is God's. God created all of it and it is all at the Almighty's command. The universe is the Lord's and all that is in it: every planet, every star, every quasar and Galaxy and black hole. God's hands formed every one of them individually. They belong to God because God conceived of them and made them. God owns them just as a potter owns the pots she makes. God made all that we are aware of. All those interesting objects we see light years away in our telescopes, and many things that we are still unaware of. God is so great! God has even created things we are unable to imagine.

After proclaiming God's greatness the psalmist was led to ask a question. "Who shall ascend to the hill of the Lord, who shall stand in God's holy place?" If you think about it, that's a good question. Who is worthy to stand before a God so great? We are but little creatures on one of God's little planets, circling a yellow dwarf star in the corner of an ordinary galaxy. Who on this planet is worthy to ascend to the holy place and worship God?

The answer is obvious: "Those who have clean hands and pure hearts." The Psalmist's answer makes sense. Only those who have not dirtied their hands with the sinfulness of the world can approach God. Only those whose hearts are pure can truly worship God. Only those who are perfect could dare to ascend to the hill of the Lord.

In the past, before Jesus, they might have though this possible. But Jesus made it clear to us that none of us is perfect. His example of love makes our love look so small. His teachings make us realize that none of us are pure in heart. Before Jesus, a person might have said, "I have never killed, or committed adultery or stolen." But Jesus told us if we so much as hate our neighbor we have killed, if we have lusted we have committed adultery, if we have been jealous we have stolen in our hearts. Who could claim innocence to such crimes? No one! So we are forced to admit that we are not worthy or able to ascend to God's holy hill.

This places us in a quandary; a dilemma. We are forced to admit that we are not worthy to worship God and yet here we are. Here we stand in "God's house." We read God's Holy Word and praise the Almighty. And we pray to God. But in the midst of thinking about God's greatness we realize we are not worthy to be here. God is so great and we are so imperfect.

We are too small to even presume that we can honor such a great God. None of us has said or done anything to make ourselves worthy of ascending to God. Who am I to stand up here and proclaim what God has said? What right do any of us have to walk into the house of the God of the universe and make ourselves at home; much less act as if we own the place? Are any of us as great as a quasar? Do any of us have the power of a black hole?

Yet here we are. God has allowed us to come here. If God had not wanted us here I assure you we would not be here. God could very easily have prevented us from getting here this morning. Or God could have destroyed us for daring to enter this divine house. Not only did God allow us to come here; God invited us to come. God commands us to worship. And God promised to be here with us through the Holy Spirit. If God is so great that we are unworthy to stand in the Almighty's presence, why did God send the Spirit? And If we are too unclean to ascend to God, why did God send Jesus Christ the Son to live among us?

That is the solution to our quandary: God sent Jesus Christ! We were unable and unworthy to approach so great a God. So God came to us. We could not ascend to God, so God descended to us. We were unworthy to worship such a great God, so God sent one who was worthy to prepare us, and through Christ God made a way for us to approach and worship.

The universe is still the Lord's and the all that is in it. That has not changed. And it is still true that only those who have clean hands and pure hearts can approach the Lord. And there are none of us who have not dirtied our hands and hearts in the world's sinfulness. But Christ came to make us pure. Jesus washed the dirt from our hands. And he has purified our souls.

At one time we could not approach the great God of the universe. But through Christ this generation has received a blessing. We have been saved and vindicated. Now we can worship God and seek God's face. Through Christ we are worthy to ascend to the hill of the Lord and worship the God who is mighty over all.

The psalmist concludes: "Lift up you heads, O gates and be lifted up, O ancient doors." Some believe that this psalm was written to commemorate the bringing of the ark of the covenant into the Jerusalem temple. God's presence sat on an invisible throne above the Ark of the covenant, so when it entered the city, God was entering the city. One can picture the procession carrying the ark to the city. As it comes toward the town the musicians are singing of God's greatness and glory. And David the king is dancing before the ark. And just as the ark gets near the city the musicians start singing "Open the doors for the king of glory is coming in."

In ancient times the doors of as city were there to protect the city. Often times they were not opened all the way. They were only opened enough to let the merchants and citizens go through without trouble. That way they could be closed in a hurry. But this was no ordinary visitor or resident of the city. This was the God of the universe. This God was too big to get though such a small entrance. The doors must be lifted high and opened wide to let God in.

The doors were opened, and the God of the universe dwelt in Jerusalem. In Christ the God of the universe came and dwelt among us in human form. Today the Spirit wishes to dwell in our hearts. But we are talking about the God of the universe.

If we are to let God enter, we must open the doors of our hearts all the way and not just part way. So swing wide the doors and open the gates of your hearts; for the King of all glory wishes to enter your heart and life. Let Christ make you worthy to receive the Spirit of the Living God. Then live like one who has the power of the universe dwelling in them.

Mark 6:14-29

This is the way that I imagine it. One day Herod is sitting around the board table with his advisors and they are giving him reports on what is happening in various parts his territory. Again and again they tell him about the activities of a carpenter from Nazareth turned Holy Man. There are reports of him healing the sick and casting out demons. His disciples orchestrate mass gatherings and even feed thousands of people at a time.

Someone asks, "Who is this Jesus fellow anyway?" Good question! Does he have a claim to the throne after all Herod's is very weak even non-existent. Will he cause trouble and give the Romans an excuse to crack down on them. More importantly, if these reports get back to Rome, what will the Romans think? Then someone comments that Jesus seems like one of the prophets of old. Others are afraid he might claim to be Isaiah or Jeremiah or even Elijah come back from the dead. If people believe that, it might start a revolt. Then Herod pounds his fist on the table, "He is John the Baptizer come back from the dead to haunt me!"

Whether he was really John or not they did not know but everyone at the table knew that Herod had some unresolved issues in association with John. Herod had an odd attraction to John, and then it was cut tragically short. John, who was a preacher and Baptizer, had criticized Herod for marrying his brother's wife, Herodias. This criticism and John's other activities threatened to weaken Herod's power over the people. So to silence John he had him placed in prison; a dungeon under his castle.

But it didn't work. John continued to preach from prison. The Bible tells us that even though John's preaching disturbed Herod he still went to hear John. It seems to me that Herod's need for God drew him to John. But at the same time God's word pained his conscience. If it were not for his desire for power he could have let John go and if it were not for his desire for a woman he could have repented as John called him to. And the end of his story would be of a ruler who accepted Christ.

But pulled by his desires Herod kept John in prison but would go to listen to his preaching. We don't know how long things went on like this. We do know that things finally came to a head one night when Herod was indulging his desires. His stepdaughter/niece danced for the dignitaries gathered there for a party. She pleased Herod so much that he rashly offered her anything up to half his kingdom. Herodias seized the opportunity and advised the girl to ask for John's head.

At that point Herod's need for God and his material desires came into tragic conflict. His desire for his stepdaughter had pushed him into a corner. If he refused to have John beheaded the dignitaries would find it hard to trust him and his power would be undermined. So his desire for a woman and his desire for power led him to have John killed. Even though John's words from God filled a need in his life, John was silenced because of Herod's desires.

Perhaps we can understand Herod, this tragic figure, if I introduce you to some more tragic figures. Let me introduce you to a couple. We will call them Matt and Sara. They are young and just getting started in life and so much in love. They know what the Bible says about the kind of relationship they should have; in fact they both grew up in the church. But even though they know it is wrong to live together, they do.

Why do they decide to live together in direct violation of God's word? If you ask them they will tell you about jobs and carriers and school. They will make excuses about not having enough money to do the wedding right. But what it really comes down to a lack of commitment. They want all the benefits that come with a marriage but they are not willing to make a commitment to live their whole lives "until death do us part" with each other.

This is really tragic. In a sense they are pretending to be married while not being married. You can't build a true lasting relationship on pretense. Mat and Sara are tragically torn by the things that they want and the things that God calls them to do. If they are not careful they will end up with neither. Studies show that the Matt's and Sarah's have more marital problems and end up divorced more often than those who follow God's plan. And that is really tragic.

Let me introduce you to another tragic figure. We will call him Bobby, but it could also be Bobbie with and "ie" because Bobby's story is one shared by many women today as well as men. Bobby is a dependable kind of person. A lot of people depend on Bobby. He has children and parents who depend upon his income. He is also in a position in his career where employees are depending upon him. If he falters and lets the business decline, others may lose their jobs.

So like any dependable kind of person Bobby works hard. He works overtime and late hours. He makes it to the occasional ball game or dance recital and to every obligatory graduation but not much else. He also goes to church, occasionally, but less and less as the years go by. And he seldom thinks of God or Jesus during the week much less take time to talk to God or read the Bible.

After years Bobby retires and discovers the tragedy of his life. Now that he has time for his children, they don't have time for him. He hardly knows his wife who has learned to use her time wisely and makes him feel left out of her full life. And worse yet he feels not only alienated from his family but alienated from his God. How tragic!

Perhaps Bobby, Matt and Sarah, and Herod are such tragic figures because they are so much like us. We too are torn by ambivalence and confusing allegiances. Our whole society is torn like that. The things we want and thing God calls us to are often in conflict. Even when we want to do good, we often find ourselves serving the opposite.

Perhaps the whole tragic situation comes back to the question that started the discussion. Who is Jesus really? Is he just another prophet or a madman? Or is he the one who speaks God's eternal word? Is he perhaps the Messiah the Son of God? Is he really capable of healing our tragic lives and casting out the demons of desire for things that injure us?

The world is speculating about it. They are sitting around board tables and kitchen tables wondering who this Jesus is anyway? Like Herod they sense the presence of God in Jesus. They can hear their Heavenly Fathers voice in his teachings. But their desire for earthly things draws them away from heeding God's word.

This is truly a tragic situation. But what is more tragic is the church's failure to recognize it. We look at the world and ask ourselves, "Why don't they see that Jesus is the answer?" Some say that the world is just ignorant and they need someone to tell them the truth then they will accept it. They are just lost sheep. That may be true for some but not many. Others argue that they know the truth and have utterly rejected it. This is the attitude that reaching out to the unchurched is a waste of time.

But the tragic truth is somewhere in between. Many people recognize the truth in some degree. To some extent those who are living in sin or neglecting their family and spiritual lives know that it is wrong. But openly acknowledging that would lead them to a painful decision. So they try to hide the truth away in some dungeon and they listen but do not heed what it says to them.

Perhaps if we could recognize the true tragedy of their plight we could help. If we could openly acknowledge what they are afraid to admit, it would cause them to heed the voice of God. Maybe if we would admit that we are often like Herod, ignoring and yet listening to truth, then we could understand them better. Then their story would not end as tragically. And instead of ordering the prophet's head served on a platter, they could heed God's words, repent, and receive forgiveness. Then instead of being tragic figures they could be transfigured by the glory of God living in their hearts.