Zechariah 3 OT    p. 833 or 1159

[1] Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

[2] And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this man a brand plucked from the fire?"

[3] Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.

[4] The angel said to those who were standing before him, "Take off his filthy clothes." And to him he said, "See, I have taken your guilt away from you, and I will clothe you with festal apparel."

[5] And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with the apparel; and the angel of the Lord was standing by.

[6] Then the angel of the Lord assured Joshua, saying

[7] "Thus says the Lord of hosts: If you will walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you shall rule my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you the right of access among those who are standing here.

[8] Now listen, Joshua, high priest, you and your colleagues who sit before you! For they are an omen of things to come: I am going to bring my servant the Branch.

[9] For on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven facets, I will engrave its inscription, says the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the guilt of this land in a single day.

[10] On that day, says the Lord of hosts, you shall invite each other to come under your vine and fig tree."

INTRODUCTION:

Have you ever noticed how people love to get dressed up for a party? You get that invitation and the excitement starts to build. Maybe it's a birthday or an anniversary or even a wedding. You check to see if you've got the right clothes. If you don't wear a sport coat or suit very often, you check to make sure you can still get into it.

Sometimes we just don't have the right thing to wear, so we go purchase something new, something more appropriate. Why? Because we want to look our best. We want to dress up. We want to look sharp. We want to look schnazzy. That's why Irving Berlin wrote that song, "Putting On the Ritz."

Have you seen the well-to-do up and down Park Avenue
On that famous thoroughfare with their noses in the air
High hats and Arrow collars, white spats and lots of dollars
Spending every dime for a wonderful time

If you're blue and you don't know where to go to
Why don't you go where fashion sits
Puttin' on the Ritz

Diff'rent types who wear a day coat, pants with stripes
And cutaway coat, perfect fits
Puttin' on the Ritz

Dressed up like a million dollar trouper
Trying hard to look like Gary Cooper
Super duper

Come let's mix where Rockefellers walk with sticks
Or "um-ber-ellas" in their mitts
Puttin' on the Ritz

Strolling up the avenue so happy
All dressed up just like an English chappie
Very snappy

You'll declare it's simply "top-thing" to be there
And hear them swapping smart tidbits
Puttin' on the Ritz

Irving Berlin captures our need to look snappy. He captures our desire to get all dressed up. Somehow, dressing up in a new suit and tie or a new dress and shoes or in the new cool threads of the current style makes us feel extra special.

I think Zechariah knew that. I know God knows that. That's why Zechariah's fourth vision is about the difference between having on "filthy clothes" and being dressed in God's "festal apparel."

In this vision, the "filthy clothes" represent the stain of our sin. And God's "festal apparel" represents what we look like after clothing ourselves in the Grace of God's forgiveness.

Through God, we're lifted from the rags of our sin and re-clothed in heavenly apparel. Through Christ we go from the ordinary everyday rags of our sinful nature to being all dressed up in what my Dad used to call, our "Glad Rags." We're Puttin' On The Ritz. We're Puttin' On The Ritz of God's Grace.

And that Grace is central to who we are, what we believe and how we're called to live as United Methodists.

I. WHAT IS GRACE?:

A. What Is Grace? How do we explain this whole concept of Grace?

When we talk about Grace in the theological sense, we're not talking about athletic poise such as you see in ice skaters and the like. We're not talking about the light footedness of a ballerina or a modern Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers. And like Charles Allen once said, "Grace is not a blue eyed blonde."

So What Is Grace? If it is central to our theology and our Christian Life, what is it? For me, the definition of Grace is very simple and at the same time extremely complex. "Grace is an undeserved gift from God which takes a lifetime to unwrap." That's my definition of Grace. "Grace is an undeserved gift from God which takes a lifetime to unwrap." And it's a gift that we all need.

B. Let's face it. In life we all have to deal with the reality of sin and temptation. We don't like to talk about sin. It makes us uncomfortable. It makes us feel guilty. But sin is a reality in our lives and in the world. The events of the past few weeks have proven that.

And we've all come to the same conclusion: Sin stinks.

Sin reminds us that when we're left to our own devices, when we live as one of the LOST, when we Live Outside Salvation's Touch, life stinks. And it only takes one or two people Living Outside Salvation's Touch to stink up the whole place.

I like to talk about sin and compare it to a skunk because, sin stinks. And just like a skunk leaves it's lingering odor for a long, long time; the odor and effects of sin linger for a long, long time. Sin stinks.

Sin starts with temptation. Temptation in and of itself is not a sin. It's like this scarf. Temptation is only two dimensional. It doesn't have any real body. It doesn't have any real shape. It's like the skunk on this scarf. It's just a representation of what could be.

That's all temptation is, an enticing representation of what could be. And like the skunk, it warns us at same time that it is enticing us.

In this form, you can push aside, throw it away, slap it out of site, even squeeze the stuffing out of it with no adverse effect.

It's only when we give in to temptation that it takes shape and form in our life. This pan represents our hearts and lives. When we let temptation live there, when we invite it in, that flat, enticing, representation becomes three dimensional. It takes on a life of its own. That temptation becomes sin.

And when it becomes three dimensional, it's the same thing as squeezing it or trying to slap it aside. And everybody knows what happens when you slap or squeeze a skunk don't they. It stinks.

And that's the way sin is in our lives. It stinks. And everybody knows it stinks. Because we've all slapped the skunk.

II. THE GIFT OF GOD'S GRACE:

A. So what do we do? We're stuck with the stink of our sin and we don't know how to get rid of it. That's where Grace comes in.

You see, while we've been standing around in our "filthy clothes" stained with the stink of our sin. God has been preparing a way to clean us up and put us in God's "festal apparel."

God wants to see us "Puttin' On The Ritz." God wants to see us clothed in the Robes of Redemption.

God wants us wearing the Party Clothes of Salvation. The Fancy Finery of Forgiveness. The Garments of God's Grace.

God's "festal apparel" that was given to the Priest Joshua in this vision, represents the Grace of God's forgiveness.

When we take the sin of our squeezing or slapping the skunk, and through the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit, put it into the hands of Christ and the work of the cross. Then that sin becomes no more. The stink of that sin is taken away. We're Robed in Redemption. We're clothed in the Fancy Finery of Forgiveness. And dressed in the Garments of God's Grace.

B. But you see, it's only through Christ Jesus and the Grace of God that we can be cleaned up. We can't do it on our own. And we can't buy it with good deeds. It has nothing to do with what we do. But it has everything to do with what has been done for us.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, gave Himself up for us on the cross. He took our sin upon Himself. He took the consequences of our sin upon Himself so that we wouldn't have to. He gave His life for us. And through His life He offers to clean us up from the stink of having slapped the skunk. He offers to clean us up from our sin.

And that's Grace. It's "an undeserved gift from God which takes a lifetime to unwrap." It's a gift given so that we can be clothed in the Fancy Finery of Forgiveness and the Robes of Redemption. It's a gift given so that we can "Put On The Ritz of God's Grace."

III. STORIES OF GRACE:

A. Maybe that's enough of explaning. Grace is hard to explain, hard to define. It's easier to understand once you experience it. So, let's try a couple of stories.

William Tidwell tells the story of two young travelers in Scotland who were caught in a storm and needed shelter for the night. They were welcomed by a poor peasant who provided the best that he could, considering his circumstances. The next day the men thanked their host for his kindness and left.

A few days later, officers of the King stood before the peasant's door. The peasant was scared to death. The King's men assured the frightened peasant with these words: "The king is very much pleased with your treatment of his sons on that stormy night. To show his appreciation he has prepared a home for you, and wishes to have you near him so he can care for you." (1)

That's Grace.

B. A Grandmother tells how they have a four year old grandson Patrick who taught the whole family, and especially grandma, a lesson about love and God's Grace. Patrick gave Grandma a real big bear hug one day, and Grandma said, "Patrick, I love your hugs!"

Patrick responded quickly with, "Grandma I love YOU!"

Patrick reminds us all that God does not love us for what we do or even how good we are at doing what we do. God doesn't love us for our work or our faithfulness. God simply loves us.

That's Grace.

C. Pauline Nichter, 46, and her husband, Tom, 44, had both lost their jobs. She was a warehouse supervisor, he a warehouseman. They were living in and out of motels with their 11-year-old son, Jason. They were in danger of losing their car for failure to make payments on it.

One day, Pauline found a wallet containing a credit card, an airline ticket to New Zealand and $2,394 in cash at a shopping mall in the Los Angeles suburb of Buena Park. "For a second I thought about taking the money," she said later. "But only for a second."

Instead, she delivered the wallet and its contents to the nearest police station, where the owner reclaimed them. Word of her honesty quickly got out, and a grateful community responded in kind. The Nichters received more than ten job offers and an apartment, rent-free for six months. Others gave cash.

One elderly couple walked into the police station where Pauline had turned in the wallet and asked how much money had been in it. When they were told the amount, the man said, "Then that's what they deserve," and wrote out a check for $2,400.

At a news conference, a tearful Pauline said, "Never in a million years would I have thought this would happen to us. What we have received is far more than what was in the wallet." (3)

That's Grace.

D. During the Napoleanic Wars, a young, battle-weary French soldier fell asleep while on guard duty. He was court-martialed, found guilty, and sentenced to death. His widowed mother somehow arranged an audience with the Emperor, Napoleon himself. Falling prostrate at his feet she begged him to spare her son's life, explaining he was her only child and her sole means of support. Napoleon grew weary of her pleas. "Madam, your son does not deserve mercy. He deserves to die," he said coldly.

To which the mother immediately replied, "Of course, sire, you are right. That's why I am asking you to show mercy on him. If he were deserving, it wouldn't be mercy." Napoleon was so touched by the logic of her statement that he pardoned the soldier. (4)

That's Grace.

We don't deserve mercy, but that's what we get. We receive far more than what is offered in the wallet of the world. God loves us and God has prepared a place for us so that we can be close to Him. That's Grace.

"Grace is an undeserved gift from God which takes a lifetime to unwrap." And it's a gift that we all need. It's a gift given so that we can be clothed in the Fancy Finery of Forgiveness and the Robes of Redemption. It's a gift given so that we can "Put On The Ritz of God's Grace."

CONCLUSION:

When you think of the Grace of God, remember one child's description of an elevator. He said: "I got into this little room, and the upstairs came down." (5)

So it is when we give our lives to Christ and when we serve Christ. When we live under "the Branch, the vine and the fig tree," all of which represent Christ Jesus in this vision. When we build our lives upon the stone which Zechariah describes, the stone which is the Rock of our Salvation. The stone which is Jesus.

When we build our lives upon Christ Jesus, then the emptiness in our lives is replaced with the Love and the Grace of God through Christ.

When we invite Christ into our lives, then heaven comes down and glory fills our souls!

We're no longer empty, we're no longer in the rags and "filthy clothes" of our sinfulness. The stink of our sin is removed. We are dressed in God's "festal apparel."

We're Puttin' On The Ritz. We're Puttin' On The Ritz of God's Grace. We're clothed in the Robes of Redemption. We're wearing the Party Clothes of Salvation. The Fancy Finery of Forgiveness. The Garments of God's Grace.

Let God's Grace and Mercy guide all that you do.

Put On The Ritz. Let Heaven come down and glory fill your soul, today.

1. Daily Uplink Devotional, http://www.tln.com/uplink

2. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), June 1996

3. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), March 1994

4. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), December 1993

5. The Pastor's Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), April 1996