March 15, 2015
Lent 4
The Rev. Kim Gilliland
SCRIPTURE:
1 Corinthians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21
But whoever comes into the truth comes into the light, so that it may be
plainly seen that what he has done has been done through God.John 3:21 (NIV)
SHINING THE LIGHT ON TRUTH
TRUTH & LIGHT
We are now in the middle of Lent. Easter is just three weeks away. Then we will
remember the horrors of the crucifixion and the celebration of the resurrection. It was on
the day that he was crucified that Jesus stood before Pilate the prefect or governor of the
Roman province of Judaea. The Jewish authorities had taken Jesus to the palace to get
Pilate’s opinion on the matter of his execution.
It was during the conversation between Jesus and Pilate as recorded in John 18:3738 (NIV) that Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” In response, Pilate
uttered the now famous question, “What is truth?”
That’s the big question for today. And what we are going to discover is that truth
and light are intimately connected. Without light, there is no truth and without truth there
is no light.
The passage that I read from John a few minutes ago is the story of Jesus’
encounter with the Pharisee named Nicodemus. It is in this passage that Jesus connected
the truth and the light. In John 3:21 (NIV) Jesus said, “But whoever comes into the truth
comes into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he has done has been done
through God.” Whoever comes into the truth also comes into the light. You can’t have
one with out the other. Truth and light go together, hand in hand.
That makes sense. If you want to examine something you have to shed some light
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on it. Why is that? Because it is only when you shed light on something that you can
clearly see it. I’m sure that I’m much the rest of you in that as I get older, my eyesight is
not what it used to be. I can still see quite well but not as well as I used to. I didn’t have
my first pair of glasses until I was in my mid-forties and even now I don’t have a very
strong prescription. I remember when I could read a Bible with very small print with no
trouble. I could read the tiny little warning labels on medication bottles without a second
thought. But the day came when I began having a bit of trouble reading the fine print.
And so my optometrist suggested that I get glasses. I will never forget what he said. He
said that I really didn’t need them but that I was to think of them like a training bra. I
didn’t really need them but the day was soon coming when I would so I might just as well
start getting used to them. So I did.
Now I have trouble reading the fine print. In fact, I find that the computer monitor
on my desk is blurry without glasses even with good size font. For me to read those
things I need my glasses. There is one notable exception to this. When I am outside in the
bright sunlight, I can still read almost anything. The more light there is, the more the
words on page reveal themselves to me. The same holds true for the truth. The more light
we shed on something, the more truth we discover.
JESUS - THE TRUTH & THE LIGHT
Truth and light go together. We know that the more light we have, the more truth
we are able to see. Jesus put a new spin on this because he said that the exact opposite is
also true. In John 3:21, he said that whoever lives by the truth comes into the light. That
means that the more truth you have, the more light you see. Isn’t that cool. Light reveals
truth but truth also reveals light. It goes both ways.
And here’s the really neat part. Truth and light go together because Jesus is both
truth and light. He himself said that he was both of them. First of all, Jesus is truth. In
John 14:6 (NIV) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” Did you get that? Jesus said that he was three things. One of
them was truth. Jesus is truth. What is that truth? It is that no one comes to the God
except through him. He’s the only way. That’s the truth that Jesus came to reveal.
Second, Jesus is light. In John 8:12 (NIV) he said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus is
light. And he said that those who follow him will never walk in darkness but will have
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the light of life.
Jesus is truth. He is the only way to the Father. Jesus is light. He offers the light of
life that chases away the darkness. The themes of truth and light flow through the gospel
of John much as the Holy Spirit flows through the people of God. Light and truth. Truth
and light. It’s all there for those whom have eyes to see.
But what is truth? Do you remember Pilate’s question? What did Jesus say about
truth in response to Pilate’s question? The surprising part is that he said absolutely
nothing. Jesus didn’t answer him. He didn’t have a chance. As soon as Pilate asked the
question he left the room and went to talk with the Jewish authorities and told them that
they were nuts to execute Jesus. He had done nothing wrong. I believe that Pilate didn’t
need to wait for Jesus’ to answer because he already knew it. He knew that what Jesus
said about himself was true. Everyone on the side of truth would listen to him. Pilate may
not have had all the details figured out but he realized that there was a connection. Jesus
and the truth went hand in hand.
Here’s a question for you. If Pilate could figure it out, why do so many people
today have such difficulty with that concept? Why is it that so many people doubt who
Jesus is and what he represents? Why do they have so much trouble with the concept of
the truth of the claims of Jesus? Maybe its because people in general have trouble with
the concept of truth on a much wider scale.
I read an article the other day by Dr. Justin McBrayer. He’s a professor of
philosophy at Fort Lewis College in Colorado. This article was inspired by his visit to his
son’s public school class room. We need to note that his son is in grade two.
Interestingly, the day he was visiting was the very day that they were discussing the
notion of truth. That would be a very interesting subject for a philosophy prof. What
would seven year olds have to say about truth? As it turns out, they didn’t say very much
at all because most of the time was taken up by the teacher telling the students how to
define truth.
Here’s what was taught. You have to be clear about what is fact and what is
opinion. A fact is something that is true because it can be tested or proven. An opinion is
something that someone thinks, feels or believes. What that means is that with definition
the only things can be deemed true are facts because they are the only things that can be
tested or proven. Everything else is opinion.
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That means that gravity is truth. It’s a fact. It is true that one plus one equals two depending of course on what base is used - and that the square root of sixteen is four. It is
true that water expands when it freezes and that iron contracts when it freezes. These are
all true because they can be tested or proven. So they must be true. What Dr McBrayer
was concerned about was that the public school system in Colorado was teaching his
children that beyond mathematics, science and some history pretty well everything else is
opinion. And if it is an opinion that it is not universally true.
What it means is that there are no philosophical truths because philosophy consists
of subjective ideas that can’t be consistently tested. There are certainly no moral truths
because morality is based on the culture in which it exists. And there are no religious
truths because that’s all matter of opinion too. In a nutshell, if you can’t prove it, then
you’re welcome to your opinion but don’t push it on me. By that definition here are some
opinions that are not truths. Think about these: All people are created equal; Copying
homework assignments is wrong; It is inappropriate to swear in class; Rich people should
never steal from poor people; Education is a good idea; Murder is wrong; Helping the
poor is right. According to what Dr. McBryaer’s son was being taught, these are not
truths because they cannot be tested or proven. They are only someone’s opinions and
will vary with each culture and generation. So it’s all just relative.
When children are being taught that in grade two is it any wonder why people as
they get older have difficulty understanding the broader concept of truth? Is it any
wonder why moral standards are declining and people see no need for a higher power in
their lives? Here’s what I want to say. I have no problem saying that things that can be
tested and proven are true. I think that’s self evident. But when we limit our concept of
truth to that extremely narrow definition, we lose our moral compass. I would submit to
you that there is philosophical truth. For example, education is a good thing and all
people really are created equal. There are also moral truths. It is wrong to murder. It’s
always wrong. And of course there are theological truths. God’s not dead and Jesus died
on the cross to pay the price of our sins so that through faith in him we can have eternal
life. In my life, those things are true. And they aren’t true just for me. They are
universally true for everyone.
Can I prove those things? Absolutely not. But that doesn’t mean that they aren’t
true. God doesn’t need me to prove his existence. He exists whether or not someone
wants to believe it. And Jesus doesn’t need me to affirm his sacrifice in order for it to be
sufficient for all of our sins. Just because we can’t prove those things does not in any way
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take away from the validity of those truth claims.
Pilate understood that. He understood it 2,000 years ago. He knew that either Jesus
was who he said he was or he wasn’t. He was so sure that it was true that when he asked
Jesus to define truth, he didn’t even bother waiting for the answer because he already
knew it. He understood that Jesus was the way, the truth and the life. He may not have
fully understood what that meant but I believe that he understood validity of that truth.
So here’s a question. If Pilate understood those things, why did he hand Jesus over
to be crucified? The short answer is because he had to. It was the part that God had given
him to play on the stage of life for the salvation history of creation to be fulfilled. I don’t
believe that Pilate was a bad person. Jesus had to died on the cross and in order for that to
happen, Pilate had to do his part by handing him over to the Jewish authorities. And
aren’t we glad he did.
What is truth? The truth is revealed by the light. Jesus is the truth and Jesus is the
light. To love the truth and to love the light is to love Jesus.
SHINING LIGHT ON OUR LIVES
So what’s the point? The point is simply this. There is more to truth than mere
facts. There are the truths that we all live and experience each and every day. They are
truths about ourselves, our relationships and our God. And the fact that they cannot be
tested or proven does not in any way take away from truths that we proclaim.
So here’s my challenge for you today. If Jesus is the truth and Jesus is the light
then we should be living that way that he wants us to live. Remember what he said,
“Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what
he has done has been done through God.” What about you? Would your life hold up
under that scrutiny? If your actions were put under the light for all to see, would they be
consistent with Jesus’ teachings?
Here’s the reality. All of us fall short. None of us truly lives up to Jesus’ standards
because none of us is perfect. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t get better. So what I
want you to do is look at your own life. What is there in you life that would not bear up
under the light of Christ? Note that I’m asking you to examine your own life, no one else.
They can examine their own lives. You stick with yours. I want you to forget about
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everyone else and concentrate on your life. Where do you fall short from the truth of the
Gospel? What is the light of Jesus showing to you?
As you think about that, I want to give you some parameters. First, if something
you are currently doing is a secret that you prefer that others didn’t know, it probably
doesn’t measure up. Second, if you would be ashamed of it if others discovered what you
are doing, it probably doesn’t measure up. Here’s the third one; if you would not want to
admit to your mother that you take part in this behaviour, it probably doesn’t measure up.
I want you to note this. There is a different between behaviours that are private and
those that are sinful. There are certain private things that we don’t need to share. We
don’t need to share our medical history. We don’t need to share our intimate moments
with our spouses. Those things are and should be private. There is nothing wrong with
them.
But that is different from behaviour that are inconsistent with the clear teachings of
Scripture. Our goal during Lent is to walk more closely to the way that Jesus calls us to
walk, to act like he wants us to act, to talk like he wants us to talk. And we need to stop
making excuses for ourselves when we fall short.
We do that, don’t we. We make excuses for our behaviour. Sometimes we own up
to our sins. But sometimes we do our very best to justify them. We say things like, “I
couldn’t help myself. I tried to stop but I couldn’t.” Really? Just because something is
hard to resist that does not mean that it is impossible to resist.
What else do we say? We say, “If everyone else is doing it, then it must be okay.”
St. Augustine of Hippo was an early Church theologian and philosopher who lived
between 354 AD and 430 AD. He was a brilliant man. When it comes to excuses he said
this: “Wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it; right is still right even if no one is
doing it.” It doesn’t matter what everyone else is doing or what they are saying, there is a
truth of the Gospel that never changes. It is the standard by which we are measured and
the rule that we seek to follow. St. Augustine, by the way, knew what it was like to walk
on the other side. In the Catholic tradition, he’s the patron saint of brewers because of his
conversion from a former life of loose living and drunkenness. So no one is perfect.
There are all sorts of different excuses. What are yours? How do you excuse your
actions and your words when they do not measure up? Shed some light on that. Honestly
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look at what you are doing and how it affects those around you, especially the ones you
love the most. Do not believe the lie that there are no absolutes that cannot be tested or
proven. Rather believe absolutely in the truth of Jesus.
Truth is truth in every day and generation. Jesus is truth. Jesus is light. Let his light
shine on your life to reveal the truth and then allow his Holy Spirit to transform you from
the inside out into the person he created you to be. But as you do that remember this. You
are not alone. You are part of a body of believers that is called to support you as you seek
the truth in your own life. You are not alone and you will not be judged. The only time
we cast stones in this congregation is at the devil. We are all equally in need of Jesus’
blood to save us and redeem us. If you need to come and talk with me please do that. If
there is a confession that you need to make, please make it. If there is something that you
need to get off your chest, my door is always open. If you would rather talk with
someone else, then by all means do that. Just get past the darkness so that you can live
fully in light of God’s amazing love.
What is truth? Jesus is truth.
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PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
God of the Ages, speak to our hearts. Remind us, once again, of your infinite love.
Cleanse our souls and calm our fears. Give us the assurance of your presence and the
strength of your Spirit living within us. O God, the Rock of the Ages, speak to our hearts.
Lord of Love, help us to keep the priorities of my life in proper order, always
putting you and your way of doing things first above all else. It would be most foolish to
give away that which is of infinite value for that which is of no lasting value. We want to
live, with you, forever, and there is nothing in the universe that could ever be of equal
value to that. Thank you for the gift of eternal life with you.
We remember the struggle of people the world over. We pray that their concerns
and issues may be addressed and that solutions can be found for problems that, in many
cases, have continued for centuries. We give thanks for the progress that has been made
in our world. Give your Church, O God, the courage to continue to struggle against
attitudes of violence and injustice. In doing so, may we work toward the society that you
have called us build on the foundation of your love.
We lift up in our prayers the situations in war torn parts of the world. We mourn
the violence, the destruction and the bloodshed. Forgive us, O God, that we have not been
able to get beyond such futile ways to solve differences. May your peace spring forth for
the good of all humanity. May justice be done in your name, O God.
We pray for those who mourn. Thank you, Jesus, that you died for their sins and
rose again for their eternal life. May we, who mourn in this season or Lent, never fail to
look toward the promise of empty tomb of Easter morning.
Finally, we lift up in prayer the sick of our congregation and community. We pray,
this morning, for those who have been in hospital, especially Joyce Allen, Doug
Montgomery, Dolly Hedge and Sharon Hedge. Grant to them and to all of us, O God,
your healing touch. Grant us your peace and strength in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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WORSHIP RESOURCE PAGE
March 15, 2015 / Lent 4
SCRIPTURE
Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; John 3:14-21; Ephesians 2:1-10
CALL TO WORSHIP
ONE: Give thanks to God who loves forever.
ALL: Give praise to the Lord who rules Creation.
ONE: Sing to God who redeems and saves us.
ALL: Honour the One who calls us home.
ONE: Come, let us worship our God in a celebration of faith.
PRAYER OF APPROACH
Your love, O God, endures forever. Your faithfulness to all generations. We are grateful for your
assurance which tells us that you will complete what you have begun in our lives. We come as your
children, like the seeds of spring waiting to be watered and nourished by your Spirit. We come seeking
the nurture and growth that only you can provide. Enable us to learn more about your ways and to walk
more confidently in the strength of your love for each of us. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Loving God, our Saviour and Friend, sometimes we are overwhelmed by the circumstances of life.
Sometimes, we do not know where to turn. Sometimes, we forget to turn to you. Forgive us. Give us the
courage to hold on to faith, refusing to let it go. We seek a fresh experience of your love, a love which is
greater than we can comprehend. It is an unconditional love that has been offered to us by your grace.
Enable us to set our hearts on your path and to turn from our sinful ways. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
The choices that we make are ours alone. The consequences of our actions will be revealed in the light
of God. Thanks be to God that, when we make wrong and destructive choices, God is there to mend and
heal the damage and to lead us back along the path of righteousness.
DEDICATION OF OFFERING
We bring our best to you this day, O God, represented by our tithes and offerings. We bring, also, our
hearts that you may use our lives for your holy purpose. All that we are, all that we do, all that we ever
have we offer to you. Amen.
COMMISSIONING
The time to leave is upon us. It is time to return to our lives and to take our faith with us. May Jesus
shine in your work and your way. May the Holy Spirit thrive in your prayers and meditations. May God
be with you ‘til we meet again.
MESSAGE OUTLINE
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The Rev. Kim Gilliland
March 15, 2015
SHINING THE LIGHT ON TRUTH
TRUTH & LIGHT
Jesus answered, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
“What is truth?” Pilate asked.
John 18:37-38 (NIV)
But whoever comes into the truth comes into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that
what he has done has been done through God.
John 3:21(NIV)
Truth and light go together. You can’t have one without the other.
It is in the light that the truth is most clearly revealed.
JESUS - THE TRUTH & THE LIGHT
Jesus is the truth.
I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 (NIV)
Jesus is the light.
I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have
the light of life.
John 8:12 (NIV)
A lot of people have trouble with the concept of truth.
They see things as relative and not absolute.
God does not need me to prove his existence for him to be real.
He exists whether we believe it or not.
SHINING LIGHT ON OUR LIVES
Each of us needs to shine the light of Jesus on our own lives to discover if we are living
up to the truth of the Gospel.
We also need to stop making excuses for the sins that we commit.
Jesus is the light. Jesus is the truth.
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