The Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
Who remembers Milton Berle? In early television days Milton Berle, a Jew, was considered “Mr. Television.” Does anybody remember Bishop Fulton Sheen? When Bishop Sheen got higher ratings than Milton Berle, Berle congratulated him, but Sheen responded, “I just have better writers than you do.”
Then he added: “But don’t feel too bad, Milton. My writers are all nice Jewish boys—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.”
Those were the good ole days when the whole country tuned in to watch a Bishop talk about Jesus!
What does the word gospel mean? It means good news. If someone said to you, “You’re a Christian. What is the good news?,” how would you answer that question?
One way to answer the question is by quoting John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Would you agree that’s a pretty good way to answer that question?
But then the person asks, “Why did you say something about my perishing? I don’t perceive any danger. My life’s pretty good the way it is. I’m enjoying myself, my family and I live a comfortable life, our kids are well-adjusted and are getting good marks in school. It doesn’t look to me like we are anywhere near being in danger of perishing.“
But as he said this, he realized he was putting a positive spin on things. Yes, they’re living a comfortable life, but really a little above their means, so they’re always in debt and always just one paycheck away from financial distress. Things are stressful at work, with a boss that’s threatened by anybody who has a creative thought, and a few fellow employees who won’t do their fair share, which makes everybody else’s work harder. The kids do seem to be doing well in school, but he’s worried about the effect of things beyond his control, like social media and the violent video games the kids are playing, and then there’s always a constant worry about drugs and now this new fad of kids vaping. And he and his wife had a disagreement just the other night that was more heated than he’s comfortable with. They’re not perishing, but things could be better.
When you talk about the Gospel being good news, does that have anything to do with the everyday problems that people face? The answer to that question is, yes, it has everything to do with the everyday problems that people face. The Gospel, unfortunately, is first of all bad news, the bad news that our lives are not what they ought to be, that things are not nearly as perfect as they might appear, that no matter how hard we try, we cannot make them conform to our vision of perfection. In fact, the Gospel tells us that without God we are in rebellion against him, and that our own contrary wills are buttressed and encouraged by Satan and other forces of evil.
That Gospel goes beyond our own small sphere of life to all of humanity from the very beginning of the human race. There’s something very wrong. God created us with tremendous potential, with the ability to be in full communion with him and in loving community with one another. But our self-centeredness has taken us far from him and put us at odds with one another. In fact, even if things are pretty good at home, the society of which we’re a part should be a great cause of concern for all of us. The shooting last Wednesday at the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is just the latest example of how things have gone terribly wrong in the human family.
When our Lord Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan for the forgiveness of sins, he who was without sin identified with all of us for whose sins he would one day die on the cross. He likewise went through a period of testing, in which he was tempted by Satan, making us aware that he even faced the challenges of the tempter.
The whole world is in great need of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, but the great problem is that men and women, boys and girls don’t perceive their need. Our prosperity as a people and our knowledge of things scientific have lulled us into thinking the basic problems of life have been solved or at least can be solved by human ingenuity. To think that’s the case is arguably the greatest temptation Satan puts in front of us, and most don’t even recognize it as a temptation. For the most basic of human problems hasn’t been conquered—the changing of each human heart to love God first above all else, and then to love one’s neighbor as oneself.
The problems that face us—violence, hatred, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, pride, sloth, to name a few—Holy Scripture tells us, are the result of human sin, and by themselves lead to our destruction. There is only one remedy for this dilemma, and it’s faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, resulting in new life in him through his Church. It doesn’t mean the Christian life is problem free, for the old nature is still a part of our lives and we’re still part of a sinful humanity, but we’re now part of the solution, to the extent to which we allow ourselves to be guided by the mind of Christ. Take a look around you. There are all kinds of people here—teachers, students, young, old, rich, poor, black, white, introverts, extroverts, liberals, conservatives. All of us listen to God‘s Word, pray for all sorts and conditions of people, get on our knees and ask for God‘s forgiveness, offer our lives anew, and receive the gift of God himself in the process. That’s why the Church has said how important it is for every Christian to be present in worship at least every Lord’s Day. What we experience here in worship is a foretaste of heaven and a glimpse of the salvation of the world. And that’s good news!
Sermon preached by the Rev. Fredrick A. Robinson
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
1st Sunday of Lent
18 February 2018