First Presbyterian Church
God's Love Overflowing
Sermon for June 3, 2007
by Pastor Susan Barnes

Children's time:

Today we install elders and a deacon to serve the congregation. We are going to say a statement of faith where we say that we believe in the holy catholic church. I wanted to tell you about that word catholic.

We have St. Francis de Sales Cathedral here. It is a Roman Catholic church. They are Christians, but they believe a few different things than Presbyterians, and their worship is just a little different. The Roman Catholic church is written like this. When we use the word catholic with a small c, we mean the whole church, all Christians everywhere, not just the Roman Catholics. I know it's a little confusing.

One of the symbols of being a Christian is being baptized, so we have the baptismal font here today to remind us all of our baptisms.

Let's pray.

In biblical times, people in a city would come to the city gates, usually early in the morning, to transact business, settle disputes, and arrange marriages. To make good decisions, people will need wisdom. In the book of Proverbs, wisdom and folly are personified as women; wisdom is a beautiful woman, ready to welcome all to her nourishing table. Folly is a prostitute, ready to lure men to her bed to quickly fulfill their superficial desires.

In our reading from Proverbs on page 492, Wisdom is giving her listeners her résumé, so they will know to come to her. Listen for the word of God as it is found in the book of Proverbs 8:1-5, and 22-31.

1 Doesn't wisdom call, and doesn't understanding raise her voice?

2 On the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; 3 beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries out: 4 "To you, O people, I call, and my cry is to all that live.

5 O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it.

22 The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.

23 Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.

24 When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.

25 Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth--26 when he had not yet made earth and fields, or the world's first bits of soil.

27 When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, 28 when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, 29 when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, 30 then I was beside him, like a master worker; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, 31 rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.

This ends our reading from Proverbs. The Hebrew word our Bibles translate as ‘master worker' can also mean architect, expert, counselor, adviser, or scribe. 1

Our unison reading is on page 492 of your pew Bibles. Psalm 8 begins and ends with a doxology. A doxology is a short verse of praise to God. In the middle of the psalm are verses that show that human beings are not just recipients of God's creation, but crucial in governing that creation. Humans stand in the middle of God's good order. As we read together, listen for the word of God as it is found in Psalm 8.

1 To the leader: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.

3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?

5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

9 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

This ends our reading from the psalms.

In our gospel reading, the disciples have asked Jesus questions that reveal their worries about their future; they are dismayed to learn that they will be without him. He reassures them by saying they can't anticipate the problems they will have in the future; he can't teach them anything else about what will come. He expects them to face the future in faith. 2 He won't tell them exactly what's coming; he just equips them to be able to face whatever it is. You may follow along on page 110, but we'll be reading from my translation of John. Again, I use the southern you-all to translate second person plural. Listen for the word of God as it is found in John 16:12-15.

Still, I have many things to say to you-all, but you-all can't endure them now.

When the spirit of truth comes, it will guide you-all into all the truth; it will not speak for itself, but whatever it will hear, it will preach, and it will proclaim the things to come.

All those the Father has is mine, because of this, I said that it will receive 3 what is mine and proclaim it to you-all.

This ends our reading from God's word.

Those four verses mean that the spirit will proclaim Christ's words to them after they are gone. Jesus doesn't answer the disciples' questions as much as he redirects their concerns. An important theological crisis for the early church was the question: Was God's revelation in Christ limited to just a few people who met Jesus in the few years he was on earth? John uses Jesus' words to answer their concerns. Jesus' words allude to the wisdom tradition.

The apocryphal book Wisdom of Solomon, which first century Jews would have known, speaks about Lady Wisdom, saying, ( 9:10 -11): “Send [Wisdom] forth from the holy heavens, and from the throne of your glory send her, that she may labor at my side, and that I may learn what is pleasing to you. For she knows and understands all things, and she will guide me wisely in my actions and guard me with her glory.”

So both the holy spirit and Jesus come in that wisdom tradition. John speaks of the holy spirit as the one who will continue to guide the disciples and proclaim Christ's truth to them, even after Christ is gone.

Today we ordain and install three elders and one deacon. Our Constitution explains that “Ordination is the act by which the church sets apart persons to be elder or deacons. The purpose and pattern of leadership in the church in all its forms of ministry shall be understood not in terms of power but of service, after the manner of the servant ministry of Jesus Christ.” (G-14.0101, 14.0103)

“The service of ordination and installation shall focus upon Christ and the joy and responsibility of serving him through the mission and ministry of the church.

“The office of deacons as set forth in scripture is one of sympathy, witness, and service after the example of Jesus Christ. Persons of spiritual character, honest repute, or exemplary lives, brotherly and sisterly love, warm sympathies, and sound judgment should be chosen for this office. It is the duty of deacons first of all, to minister to those who are in need, to the sick, to the friendless, and to any who may be in distress both within and beyond the community of faith. They shall assume such other duties as may be delegated to them from time to time by the session, such as leading the people in worship through prayers of intercession, reading the scriptures, presenting the gifts of the people and assisting with the Lord's Supper. ” (G-6.04001, 2)

Elders are chosen by the people. Together with ministers of the word and sacrament, they exercise leadership, government, and discipline and have responsibilities for the life of a particular church as well as the church at large, including ecumenical relationships. They shall serve faithfully as members of the session. Elders should be persons of faith, dedication, and good judgment.

It is the duty of elders, individually and jointly, to strengthen and nurture the faith and life of the congregation committed to their charge. Together with the pastor, they should encourage the people in the worship and service of God, equip and renew them for their tasks within the church and for their mission in the world, visit and comfort and care for the people, with special attention to the poor, the sick, the lonely, and those who are oppressed. They should inform the pastor and session of those persons and structures which may need special attention. They should assist in worship. They should cultivate their ability to teach the Bible…Those duties which all Christians are bound to perform by the law of love are especially incumbent upon elders because of their calling to office and are to be fulfilled by them as official responsibilities.” (G-6.0302-04).

All that sounds a little daunting. Who could live up to all those responsibilities?

One phrase I find helpful is that “Their manner of life should be a demonstration of the Christian gospel, both within the church and in the world.” In the Christian gospel, we are called to follow Jesus and to love one another. When we stray, we are supposed to confess our sins and humbly ask for forgiveness. The words “I'm sorry, I made a mistake” are part of the gospel. Even so, the responsibilities of elder and deacon are great.

That's when we can hear those words from John: “ When the spirit of truth comes, it will guide you-all into all the truth; it will not speak for itself, but whatever it will hear, it will preach, and it will proclaim the things to come.”

When officers need to speak, if they are humble and open to the wisdom of the spirit, it will come and give them words. Sometimes the words are suggestions; most of the time before we make motions on session, the elders craft the motion together. We follow parliamentary procedure while trying to discern the will of the spirit. The spirit will move among the board of deacons and the board of elders, the session. You will be able to trust the spirit at work.

As we read psalm 8 we celebrated the majesty of God. We also recognized that God has given us the earth and its inhabitants to care for and make use of. God has given us dominion over the earth. The psalm recognizes that we are mortal, and yet God has given us dominion over the earth. It is a responsibility we must learn to live out.

Our verses from Proverbs describe how wisdom originated with God, how God created the world with wisdom; and how the world delights God. This tradition of wisdom as a beautiful woman, calling us in, offering us delight, is an old one. New testament writers spoke of Jesus as the word of God. ‘Logos,' ‘word' is masculine in Greek. The writers, unconcerned about the gender change, used that wisdom tradition but applied it to the Logos, the word.

In the new testament, the holy spirit is the presence and activity of God and the continuing presence of Jesus.

Today is Trinity Sunday. Trinity means three, specifically the Christian doctrine that God is a unity of three persons: Father, Son and Holy Ghost;

The idea of the trinity was supposed to help us give words for our faith, to describe what we believe. God the creator, who made all things in joy. Jesus, the incarnation of God on earth. The spirit, who offers us the power of God and the wisdom and word of Christ.

Last year, at General Assembly, we approved the paper called “The Trinity: God's Love Overflowing.” I wanted to share some of it with you today. It says that the trinity “is a metaphor, deeply rooted in scripture and Christian tradition that speaks of the infinite ways the triune God loves all of creation, including humankind. Comparing God's love to a waterfall or a stream may seem impersonal, yet biblical images of living water and rolling streams abound. “God's Love Overflowing is an attempt to express the amazing riches that flow boundlessly from the triune God who in loving freedom seeks and saves us, reconciles and renews us, and draws us into loving relationships that reflect the eternal oneness of God. (lines 75-80)

“In sovereign love God created the heavens and the earth and called and formed the people of Israel to be a light to all the nations. In costly grace the Lord Jesus Christ ministered among us and was crucified and raised for us and our salvation. In transforming power the Holy spirit renews and sanctifies us, draws us into new communion with God and each other, awakens our praise and worship, and equips us for the service of God and the world. The triune God does all this through the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit “ (lines 139-144.)

“Even before the election of Israel and the coming of Christ, God's creation of the world expressed overflowing love. The abundance and diversity of creatures display the majestic beauty of creation. Yet all creation groans for redemption, even as every human heart hungers for the fullness of life that only God can give (Romans 8:22-23). As sinful creatures, we know the triune God reliably neither by our observation of the world nor by our exploration of the marvels of our creaturely existence. Rather, we know the great love of the God who is three-in-one and one-in three truly, tangibly, and decisively only through God's own self-gift in the person and work of Jesus Christ and in the presence and power of the holy spirit.

In continuity with God's mighty acts among the people of Israel, but also with surprising newness the word of God was with us and for us uniquely in the person of Jesus who as an infant cried in the arms of Mary, who was baptized by John and received the holy spirit, who broke bread with sinners and tax collectors, who forgave and healed the paralytic in Capernaum, whose power flowed to the hemorrhaging woman, who taught with authority, who blessed the children, who prayed in agony at Gethsemane, who endured torture and death on the cross at Golgotha, who was raised bodily and in victory on Easter morning.

Active in the history of Israel and singularly at work in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, God continues to be present and active in and among us as the spirit, who filled the believers at Pentecost, who empowered the apostles to do signs and miracles, and who called Philip to evangelize and baptize the Ethiopian eunuch, who gave a variety of gifts to the church and formed the body of Christ, who has inspired faith, love and hope in the church across the ages, and who continues to call women and me to all ministries of the church.” (163-185)

The trinity may be just a metaphor for how we experience God at work in our world and in our lives. But it's a metaphor that works because God's own work is so surprising, so varied over the ages, s o present in our lives today, and in the ongoing work of God's church, which seeks to reconcile the world to God and be a visible and vital arm of God's activity on earth. That is what we affirm and celebrate as we ordain and install our church officers this morning.

1‘Amon, New Interpreter's Bible, V, p. 94. , BDB Hebrew-Aramaic lexicon, p. 54c

2 Bultmann, The Gospel of John, p. 573, quoted in New Interpreter's Bible vol. IX, p. 773.

3 or "take from"