Three Sunday Sermons Part 2: (Not So) Great Expectations
Acts 16:6-15
“(No So) Great Expectations”
...you might be a mom (in the style of "If...you might be a redneck")
- If you count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.
- If you hide in the bathroom to be alone.
- If you hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.
- If you hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"
- If you stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
- If you hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.
- If popsicles become a food group.
- If spit is your number one cleaning agent.
We expect a lot of mothers – in whatever form they come to us – all those women we mentioned a moment ago who have nurtured and raised us and made us who we are. We expect moms to be superheroes – and many are.
Today, as we look at another scene of the early church in the book of Acts, I want us to think about expectation.
Last week it was the incorporation of the Gentiles and how the Christian life isn’t so much about rules as it is about freedom – the law is a law of love.
So, how do we know what to do, who to be?
Read the Bible, pray, worship, give, be open, attentive...etc... spiritual disciplines and praxis...
But I can read the Bible and come away unchanged. I can pray and have my words bounce back to me from the ceiling. I can come to worship and sing songs and listen to the sermon and put my money in the plate and leave having only sung songs, listened and dropped some cash. I can go to Pittsburgh Project and work on a house and leave the week with only blisters. I can visit a sick neighbor and leave only wondering if I’m all germy now...
The difference is one of faith. How we approach these things. WHAT WE EXPECT. Do we come with great, or not so great expectations?
Moms know about expectations – I hope you have a child JUST LIKE YOU.
We sometimes talk in the church about the MEANS of grace – the WAYS in which God speaks to us and continually communicates his grace to us. Prayer, worship, reading the Bible, communion and baptism are means of grace.
John Wesley, in his sermon, “Means of Grace” wrote:
In using all means, seek God alone. In and through every outward thing look singly to the power of his Spirit and the merits of his Son. Beware you do not stick in the work itself; if you do, it is all lost labour. Nothing short of God can satisfy your soul. Therefore eye him in all, through all, and above all.
Nothing short of God can satisfy your soul. Come with anticipation, with expectation – with LONGING even...
Why do we baptize babies? Because we EXPECT that God is SHOWING UP – it is a testimony to our faith in God that says, “I trust you with this child. I trust that you will be there when I cannot, or will not, to comfort and care for and correct and keep out of trouble and – above all else – to save from sin because that is something I can’t do.” Do we really EXPECT God to do that – to be that? Do we expect God to show up? What about in communion? “Pour out Your Spirit on us gathered here...” Really? At funerals. Weddings? Fellowship dinners? Sunday School? Do we EXPECT God to show up?
What if we don’t expect God to do anything... Think about this: Paul and his companions weren’t sure what to do and Paul has a vision – why? Because he lived in expectation of God speaking to him... What if he had simply done what he thought was right and, oh yeah, God, please bless this? No church at Philippi, no Lydia – and her household – and maybe no church in Thyatira – and maybe no church in Europe...because he wanted to go farther EAST – but God prevented him and called him west into Macedonia
From the Prison Diary of Perpetua (a young, wealthy matron who was martyred at the beginning of the third century on the charge of being a Christian):
Then my brother said to me: 'Dear sister, you are greatly privileged; surely you might ask for a vision to discover whether you are to be condemned or freed.'
Faithfully I promised that I would, for I knew that I could speak with the Lord, whose great blessings I had come to experience. And so I said: 'I shall tell you tomorrow.' Then I made my request and this was the vision I had.
[VISION OF A VERY DANGEROUS LADDER WITH A DRAGON AT THE FOOT]
I at once told this to my brother, and we realized that we would have to suffer, and that from now on we would no longer have any hope in this life.
Think about the implications of this woman’s faith. Her brother said ask God what’s going to happen and she had so much confidence in God and faith such that she said, “I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
Who’s coming to dinner today? Will God be there? Do we say Grace just in case He drops by? Do we leave an empty chair just in case, an empty plate?
Who’s coming to church today? Will God be here? When we bow to pray, will God be there? In our fellowship time after worship – in your drive home – in your afternoon nap – do you have an EXPECTATION that God will show up? Or is it just business as usual?
Do we expect Him here? Is God present?
Or is God – Immortal, Invisible...Inaccessible...
There’s a scene a little earlier in the book of Acts where James the brother of John has been executed by Herod and the Jewish leadership is so pleased that Herod arrests Peter intending to execute him as well. Peter miraculously escapes from prison and he leaves town and goes to Mary, John Mark’s mother (John Mark is the traditional author of the Gospel of Mark) and he pounds on the door trying to get in. A maid named Rhoda hears his voice. I think the scene with this maid Rhoda went something like this:
She goes to the gate because she hears somebody knocking and Rhoda hears a voice say something like:
“Hello, this is Carlton, your doorman.”
Um – no, not really, she hears Peter’s voice – now, remember, Peter was in prison – actually he was on DEATH ROW – and she hears his voice outside the gate and she’s so happy to hear that he’s free and that he’s there that she does what any of us would do: she leaves him standing there and tells everyone that Peter’s there... No, really, that’s what she does... And nobody believes her...
Just like nobody believed Jesus had risen from the dead on Easter morning.
What do all these stories have in common? Expectations... Not so great expectations. Jesus rose from the dead. No, really... Peter’s outside the gate. No. REALLY!!
Here we have it. Sometimes we set the bar so low that nothing can miss it... I think it’s true that kids will often measure up to our expectations – especially if we set them too low. My kid is no good in math, no good at baseball, no good at making friends. He always makes a mess when he eats, always comes home late, she never cares about anybody but herself...and on and on. Low expectations. Yeah, I can live up to those...
So, do we do that to God? Well, another Sunday morning. When you got up this morning did you think – or PRAY – wow! I can’t wait to go into the presence of God at church today. I can’t WAIT for God’s spirit to fall on us this morning. I can’t wait to give God some praise today. Or something like that... Did I? Um... actually, I DID this morning because I knew what I was going to preach. And Bill and I do most every Sunday morning...but I’m not sure I really ever EXPECT it to happen.
I know how wrong that is – and I’m sorry – because in some ways your experience of the presence of God is affected by my experience – or lack thereof – of the presence of God. I’m not saying that I’m keeping you from God, but if even the pastor doesn’t expect God to show up...well, what does that do to our worship? So, I’m confessing here – and I’m warning you. Because from now on, every Sunday – every DAY – I’m expecting God to show up. We all need to live in shadow of God’s presence.
Does this make sense? Let’s really open ourselves up to God – and really – I mean REALLY – believe that God is going to come to us. I don’t know what that will look like or sound like or feel like to you – or even to me. I’m not saying that we have to get ready to roll around on the floor or jump up and down like teenagers on caffeine – I’m saying that if we don’t think God will come here today – then He’s not going to force Himself on us.
The ball’s in our court – God is waiting. Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me... (Revelation 3:20) Can you hear the voice (heh – Carlton again? no, not THAT voice) Can you hear the knock? “If you hear my voice” that’s the first step. Slow down, hear the voice of God. Listen EXPECTING to hear the voice of God... If you hear my voice and OPEN THE DOOR – He won’t barge in. We have to invite him.
It’s the second invitation.
The first is salvation. Are we there?
The second is daily – it’s expecting God to be there – here – right now – in every moment. Living in the presence of God...
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