HectorLodiPastorsMessage

Jan 22 - Freedom

2012-01-24T16:47:00.000-05:00

Jonah 3:1-5, 10
1The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, 2“Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days’ walk across. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s walk. And he cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”
5And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Mark 1:21-28
21They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

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As Nancy & I have mentioned before, we both have been chaplains at hospitals in Atlanta. Most of my calls were for those who had died or were dying. But from time to time, I had the joyful privilege of giving thanks to God with patients who recovered from life-threatening illnesses or accidents. And that thanks included all of the doctors, nurses, and other care-givers at the hospital. What medicine is able to accomplish today is nothing short of miraculous. And sometimes the recovery of a patient even defies explanation – truly a miracle.

So it seems strange to hear the response of the witnesses to Jesus’ healing of a man in this morning’s story from Mark. Jesus has just called his first four disciples, and now he and his gang of four enter a synagogue. While teaching, Jesus is confronted by a man possessed by an unclean spirit, maybe a demon. Performing an exorcism, Jesus heals the man. And all the congregation can say is, ““What is this? A new teaching—with authority!” A new teaching? That’s what gets their attention?

Demons and unclean spirits. Not something we think about in this day and age of modern medicine and miracle drugs. Or do we? I remember the buzz when the movie, “The Exorcist,” came out. The depiction of the power of evil possessing a young girl, and the efforts of the priests to drive it out drew millions. Of maybe the attraction was watching her head spin around while she spewed out buckets of pea soup. Almost 40 years later, yet another movie about exorcism has been recently released. I guess we still think there is some truth behind demon-possession, or at least we’re fascinated by it. The idea even slips into our everyday language. “I don’t know what possessed me to do that.” Maybe it comes from our own experiences.

I don’t know if it’s ever happened here in Hector/Lodi, but I’ve been in a church during worship when someone who was deeply disturbed walked in off the street and began disrupting the service. At first you don’t know what to do. Then the ushers try to escort this unruly individual out the door. If it seems like the person is asking for money, a sympathetic worshipper slips him or her a few dollars and tries to send them on their way. Or an elder suggests the person stay for worship and talk with folks after it’s over.

But Jesus doesn’t rebuke the man, or try to calm him down, or promise to meet with him after he is done teaching. Jesus cures the man – liberates him – with his teaching – with his words – words that make things happen.

We all know the chant. “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” We call it out to those who would try to say mean or nasty things about us. That we feel we need to say this is proof that words, in fact, can hurt us, can cut deep to the bone. If you need proof, just listen to political ads and debates. What has been going on in South Carolina this past week is disgraceful. Words as weapons to attack and destroy. But words, truthful words, can also be a powerful, freeing tool.

Before I read from Mark, we heard a portion of the book of Jonah. We presented the whole book last fall. If you remember, Jonah is at best a reluctant prophet running away from his assignment. When he finally delivers his brief message to Nineveh, Jonah is shocked as all the people in the city listen to him, believe God, and reorient their lives – they repent. And God chooses to spare the city. God’s word through Jonah brings new life and freedom.

At the beginning of the story in Mark, Jesus himself is described as one having authority as he teaches. By the end of the story, having rid the man of what has enslaved him, it isn’t just Jesus but his teaching, his words, that have authority. The Greek word translated “authority” can also mean “freedom.” Jesus teaching, his words, are freeing.

I was watching the movie, “The Help” this past week. It painfully captures life for black servants in the South during the early 60’s. Slavery may have been outlawed for 100 years, but attitudes hadn’t changed for many. Jim Crow laws and the Supreme Court decision that accepted “separate, but equal” dictated much of life. In the movie, the black, female servants, who cooked and cleaned, who cared for the children of their white employers, were shackled by the threat of never working again or worse if they didn’t do what they were told. It took the honest truth of their lives exposed through the published stories of these same servants to bring some measure of freedom from the demon of segregation, and healing to women denied their dignity. Now, not all of that truth was pretty- it wasn’t. But the healing began once the truth was spoken.

Perhaps it’s significant that Jesus’ first healing occurs in a house of worship. It doesn’t take a huge leap of the imagination to recast this story in churches today. I wonder how many of us come to worship in hidden shackles.

The obvious examples would be addictions like alcohol or drugs or gambling. But perhaps fear is what is holding us back. The first response of the demon to Jesus’ teaching is, “Have you come to destroy us?” Does fear of failing or coming up short, stop us? Do we think we can’t measure up to some unrealistic ideal? Perhaps shame is what imprisons us. We’ve done or said something to hurt another person and we can’t forgive ourselves. Or maybe it’s anger – anger at another member that has hurt you and you can’t forgive them. Maybe our chains are built on grief. We’ve lost someone we love and we can’t go on. I also wonder if the church is the reason some of us are struggling with demons.

“In Mark’s Gospel, Jesus first act of public ministry is freeing someone, healing someone. And it happens immediately- a sign to us that the kingdom of God, the realm of love is here and is active. So maybe we could boil down the first chapter of Mark leading up to this story this way: Jesus has been baptized, tempted in the wilderness, and now comes to proclaim and demonstrate the kingdom of God on earth, and he does this by opposing the forces of evil which would rob the children of God of all that God hopes and intends for them” (David Lose, “Possessed” on workingpreacher.org).

We don’t know what Jesus’ words were to the man. I think Mark leaves them out because it would be all too human for us to turn those words into a magic incantation – just pray this or do that and all your problems will be solved. It would be all too easy for us to forget who the only one capable of bringing about true, full freedom is. Mark wants his congregation and us to see the Good News comes in the person of Jesus Christ whose teaching is not so much in words but in actions – teaching that makes things happen, if we will trust in him.

In the synagogue, the man found the Spirit-given courage and strength to confront Jesus, to be completely vulnerable in his presence. In the midst of worship, he let his disease, his brokenness, his captivity come face to face with Jesus’ holiness and healing.

Can we, as people of faith, find that same kind of courage? What might happen if we actually came to church, ready to experience God with all of who we are, not just as who we hope other people think we are? What might happen if we actually came to church anticipating and expecting that Jesus would meet us, set us free, and make us whole, just like he did for the man living with the demons of his life?

Jan 15 - Come and See

2012-01-24T16:43:00.001-05:00

Mark 1:14-20
14Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” 16As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.

John 1:43-51
43The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” 46Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” 48Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” 49Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” 51And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

*******

Call and response. It’s a fairly common musical form. The leader sings a verse and the congregation responds, often with a repetitive line or refrain. The last hymn we’ll sing today, the African-American spiritual, “I’m Gonna Live So God Can Use Me” has a kind of call and response. Most of us will sing the main melody, and the tenors get this great echo in harmony. Call and response.

New baptized and tested, Jesus begins his ministry by calling people to become his disciples and follow him. In Mark and John, we hear different ways they respond to Jesus’ call.

Last week, I said throughout Mark’s gospel there is a sense of urgency. We’re barely a third of the way through the first chapter and John the Baptist has been arrested. Jesus now moves center stage and begins his public ministry. His preaching message is simple, “The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news.” As Nancy & I have noted before, repent means turn or return, in Greek, literally change your mind. Assess your situation and make a course correction.
And the first named persons Jesus calls are fishermen. Brothers Simon and Andrew are just throwing their nets into the sea in the midst of fishing. Brothers James and John are cleaning up after a night of fishing. Jesus calls them and immediately they leave their old life and their family behind and follow him.

There are so many questions we want answered in this short story. What else did Jesus say? Why did they respond immediately? Why would they leave behind a sure occupation and life for an uncertain future? Sorry, but Mark won’t give us any answers.

Perhaps these fishermen were in a business going bust. At one time the Sea of Galilee teemed with all kinds of good-eating fish. The two sets of brothers weren’t well-off by any standards, but they were doing fine. Fine, that is, until Rome’s insatiable appetite for seafood led to overfishing. Most days now their nets contained few fish of any decent size to sell. The four were stubborn and kept trying to make a go it, but, basically, they struggled to make ends meet. Then Jesus shows up: “Follow me!” Maybe a second or two was all the assessing they needed to change the course of their lives.
The pace in John’s gospel is a little slower, but here are two interesting and different responses to Jesus’ call.

Philip – a pretty unremarkable person, maybe even a little slow. He makes four brief appearances in John’s gospel and all but one of the times seems incapable of doing or figuring out anything. He has no idea what to do about feeding 5,000 people. He has no answer for a group of Gentiles looking for Jesus and has to find his brother for help. He doesn’t seem to have understood any of Jesus’ teachings. Useless…except Jesus sought him out and said, “Follow me!” And immediately Philip followed Jesus. The encounter so affected Philip, he felt compelled to share his experience with a friend and invite him. “Come and see, Nathanael, come and see.”

Then there’s Nathanael. He was an honest, hard-working man. He was also street-smart. Question everything; take nothing at face-value. No one was going to pull a fast one on him. So when his friend Philip came by with some crazy story about finding the one promised in Scripture who was born to Joseph of Nazareth, Nathanael was naturally skeptical. No one important comes out of that small village. No, important people are from important places. You’re wasting your time Philip – try looking for someone from Jerusalem, then let me know. But how do you turn down a good friend, a persistent friend. “Come and see for yourself.”

What could it hurt? Nathanael went along with Philip to see why he was so excited. He didn’t expect much – after all, nothing fazed Nathanael. Until this day… There he was! “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you,” Jesus said. His words surprised the unflappable Nathanael. How could he have known? He wasn’t there. Jesus had done something remarkable, and Nathanael was convinced to leave his old life behind and follow. And who was he? Nathanael hazarded a few guesses: rabbi, Son of God, King of Israel. Nice try Nathanael, but you have no idea. Come and see.

Three different stories, three different experiences that cause them to follow Jesus. And lest this story give the wrong impression, let’s not forget that women also followed Jesus. There were Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, and the Samaritan woman at the well, and the woman who anointed Jesus, and Mary Magdalene who was there at the cross even though all of the men had run away, just to name a few.

How about you? What’s your story? What or who are you looking for? What brought you here to this church? Why do you drag yourself out of bed every Sunday morning to come here when you could be sleeping late? Some of you may be asking yourself that question right now.

Perhaps we came because we heard about this church, its sense of community, and the work it is doing. Now we come faithfully to church, week after week. We hear God’s promise read in Scripture, and proclaimed from the pulpit. We sing songs of praise and we turn to God in prayer. We are called to prepare for the day when Jesus Christ will return. But every so often we catch glimpses of Jesus Christ. Sometimes he appears as we enjoy a meal together, or as we sing a hymn in worship, or when we perform acts of mercy to those in need within this congregation, and in the world around us.

Perhaps we came at a time when life was not going well and we didn’t know where to turn for help. Or perhaps we realized that our job wasn’t giving us the sense of fulfillment and purpose in life we expected. Sometimes that sense of being unsettled, or having one’s life be beyond our control is the means for Christ to reach out and call to us. One of the reasons the early church grew was that people on the outside looking in saw a community that worked hard to break down barriers and treat each other as brothers and sisters. The church believed it was continuing Christ’s ministry of reaching out to the poor and weak. Old, young, male, female, free person or slave, all were now brothers and sisters. One was quoted, “Look how they love each other.” Here we meet others who are also on this journey finding meaning in the God who created us, who came to be with us, who promises to be with us always in life and in death.

Perhaps you started coming here because a friend or relative invited you here. And when you came, you met others who shared similar experiences. Perhaps you look forward to seeing friends you don’t get to see during the week. Or maybe like Nathanael, you aren’t so sure about all this church stuff. I love Nathaniel in this story. He’s probably the most real person. Simon, Andrew, James, John, and Philip drop everything and immediately follow Jesus without hesitation. Not Nathaniel. He needs some proof, but that means he has to get up and see for himself. Perhaps you too are waiting to see for yourself.

Maybe your experience doesn’t match any of these stories. That’s OK. Jesus comes to us, sometimes directly, sometimes through others, sometimes in church, sometimes out in the world. It doesn’t matter. Jesus Christ is God who came to be with us, the Word of God made flesh and blood, who when and where we least expect reveals to us the God of love.

Last summer, ten of our youth did volunteer work in New Orleans. The mission trip had a profound effect on them. How do I know? All of the group who are still in high school are going this summer, along with another four youth – thirteen all together. The four new folks are coming because some of our youth said to their friends, “Come and see.” I’m convinced they encountered the living Christ in the people they met, listen to, and helped. It was something they could describe to others, but it was more important their friends experience it for themselves. “Come and see.”

Jesus reminds Nathanael, and he reminds us: You will see greater signs. Keep watching, but remember the God revealed to us in Jesus Christ meets us when we least expect or invites us through the least likely people. Come and see. Come and see.

Jan 8 - Beloved & Sent

2012-01-24T16:39:00.003-05:00

Acts 19:1-7
1While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. 2He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” 4Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied—7altogether there were about twelve of them.

Mark 1:4-13 (p. 812)
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” 12And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

*******

I know it was a week ago, but “Happy New Year.” So what did you do on New Years’ Eve? Were you celebrating with friends? Did you stay up to watch the ball drop in Times Square? And when midnight struck, did you welcome the New Year with a toast of champagne or perhaps a kiss?

Or did you decide to go to bed early and plan to wish friends and family a Happy New Year when you got up. After all, the New Year was coming whether you were awake to witness it or not. There’s no going back or stopping time, no fixing things we didn’t get quite right in the past. So we look ahead, make resolutions to better our bodies, our lives, our families, our future and go forward, we hope.

In the church our readings for this New Year focus on the gospel of Mark. And when you read Mark, you realize he’s in a hurry. As we’ve noted before, in Mark’s gospel there’s no Christmas story. By the fourth verse, John is on the scene baptizing people in the Jordan River. By the ninth verse, an adult Jesus shows up, and then we’re off. No looking back – only going forward.

Mark’s writing reflects excitement; he is in a rush to tell the story. Translators have tried to edit Mark’s material so it sounds a little more polished, but in the original Greek, nearly every sentence in this morning’s reading begins with “And,” with a couple “immediately’s” thrown in.

“And the whole Judean countryside … were going out to him … And John was wearing a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt around his waist. 7 And he was proclaiming … And in those days Jesus came … And immediately, while he was coming up out of the water … And a voice came from heaven … And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days ….”

I can remember when my sons were much younger and they wanted to tell me about something that really excited them, you could almost hear them tell it in a similar way. “And you know what happened next…” “And then, you know what…” "And then guess what…” "And then…” "And then..."

For Mark there is a real sense of urgency – there’s no time to waste. His Jesus is on the move. And what has Mark so excited at the beginning of his story? He lets us, the audience, in on a secret. Jesus has come to the Jordan to be baptized by John. And John has no idea this is the one he has been waiting for who is more powerful than himself. As Jesus comes up out of the water, he has a vision: the heavens are torn apart, and through the tear, God’s Spirit comes down to him like a dove!

This isn’t some neat opening like a door. It’s a tearing apart. If you’ve ever mended clothes, you know a tear is hard to fix. It’s as if Mark wants us to know that God has broken into this world, and there’s no closing the door, no going back to the way things were. God’s Spirit is loose – and maybe we should be scared.

Annie Dillard puts it this way: “On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, making up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies hats and straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping God may wake someday and take offense, or the waking God may draw us out to where we can never return.”

By the way, there’s only one other place in Mark’s gospel that he describes a tearing apart. It’s near the end. Jesus on the cross cries out and breathes his last. Then the curtain in the temple that hides the holiest place is torn apart.

Besides the vision of heaven and the Spirit, Jesus hears a voice telling him, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus has received his identity and a blessing. But there’s no time to think about what this means – the Spirit immediately sends Jesus out to begin his work. Baptism has kick-started Jesus’ ministry because God is in the mix, has called him “beloved,” and has blessed him. Then and only then is he ready to face the world.

In a little bit we will ordain and install elders at this church. Before we ask the candidates any questions and lay hands on their heads, all of us will reaffirm our baptismal vows. And we will say, “Remember your baptism and be thankful.” Most of us, of course, were infants when we were baptized, so it seems a foolish statement. But what do you think happens when we are baptized. Did your parents tell you about the day, about the worship service?

In baptism we acknowledge God has already claimed us and made us God’s own adopted sons and daughters before we even knew it. But we also believe at our baptism God’s Spirit comes down like a dove upon each of us. At our confirmation, we acknowledge this before God and the church. At our baptism, God has broken into our life, called us “beloved,” equipped us with gifts of the Spirit, and blessed us. Yes, we have been blessed by God – God loves us and wants the very best for us.

There was a graduate student at Princeton Seminary working toward his Ph.D. One of his teachers, Dr. Cleophus LaRue, would regularly address him as "Doctor.” Eventually it made him uncomfortable enough that he said to the professor, "But Dr. LaRue, I haven't earned my doctorate yet. I don't think you should call me that." "Dr.," the teacher responded, "in the African-American church we are not content to call you what you are, but instead call you what we believe you will be!" That is a blessing. Unexpected, unsettling, nearly inconceivable, yet blessing nonetheless. (David Lose, from workingpreach.org)

In our baptism we have been similarly blessed. God does not call us what we are, imperfect people who fall short and struggle to love others or even ourselves. Instead God calls us what God believes we can and will be with the Spirit’s help – that is children of God, loved and blessed. And then God’s Spirit sends us out. Our baptism is our call to ministry and there’s no going back. Our work is learning with the help of our church family what our gifts are and where they are most needed in this world.

This congregation discerned that God has equipped the people we will ordain and install as ruling elders this morning with the gift of leadership. Sounds scary and perhaps you may think crash helmets would be good head gear for session meetings. But you are God’s beloved and have been blessed by God for this service. And all of the rest of us are God’s beloved and have been blessed by God to help you and work with you. And all of us who have been baptized have been given the gift of God’s Spirit to guide us and give us courage. Amen.

Jan 1 - How Can We Keep From Praising

2012-01-24T16:25:00.003-05:00

Psalm 148:1-14
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!

3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!

5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.

7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!

9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!

11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together!

13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!

Luke 2:22-40
22When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), 24and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
25Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, 28Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation,
31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.”
33And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. 34Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed 35so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed — and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
36There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. 38At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
39When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. 40The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

*******

It’s hard to believe Christmas has already come and gone. Weeks and weeks of preparation have finally come to an end. All of the presents have already been unwrapped, the games/movies/CD’s are in full use, new clothes have been tried on, washed and put away. Clothes that didn’t fit or were the wrong color or style have been exchanged.

Even though the Christmas season actually runs all the way to January 6, Epiphany (the day we celebrate the arrival of the magi from the east), things pretty much have settled back down. All of the anticipation that led up to Christmas has faded. Perhaps the people responsible for selecting the Bible texts each week were aware of this. On the first Sunday after Christmas each year, the same psalm is assigned to be read: Psalm 148.

“Praise the Lord!” it begins. In Hebrew that’s “Hallelu Yah.” “Praise the Lord!” it ends. Again, “Hallelu Yah!” Praise is all that seems to be on the psalmist’s mind. Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise the Lord from the earth! Praise, praise, praise, praise, praise! Thirteen times … and usually not as a suggestion, or a statement, or even a request. More like instruction or command: “Praise!”

And look who is called upon to praise God. Praise the Lord, sun and moon! Praise the Lord all you sea monsters, yes sea monsters. Praise the Lord you stormy wind, and snow. Praise the Lord you mountains and trees. Praise the Lord all cattle and flying birds. If this sounds strange, think about the words to the favorite Christmas carol we sang on Christmas Eve:

Joy to the World! The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king.
Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing,
and heaven and nature sing, and heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Not only are human beings called to celebrate the coming of God’s son, but all heaven and nature are to get into the act.

In Psalm 148, all heaven and nature are singing praise to God. The psalmist seems to have the first creation story in Genesis on his mind as he runs down the list. He looks first to everything in the heavens: the angels, then the greater light that rules the day (the sun) and the lesser light that rules the night (the moon), along with the stars, then the waters above the heavens (they used to believe the rain came from water above the heavens running through slots that opened up).

What began in the heavens now continues on the earth. First are the inhabitants of the oceans and those sea monsters. Then the psalmist moves to all kinds of weather: snow and hail, wind, frost and fire (probably caused by lightning). Next commanded to praise God are the trees, both those which are good for building and those that produce fruit for eating. This is followed by all manner of animals, wild and domesticated, on the ground and in the air.

We have to wait practically to the end before the psalmist mentions people, you and I. Just as the list of God’s creatures is intended to include all of creation, so the psalmist has tried to encompass all people: kings and princes and rulers and all nations, male and female, young and old. No one has been left out. God values each person and each person’s offering of praise regardless of status or wealth or age or gender.

Of course you may be wondering how the sun, moon and stars praise God. How about the mountains, or the weather, or the sea monster, or the wild animals, for that matter? How do they all praise God? The psalmist says, “Praise the Lord, you stormy wind fulfilling God’s command.” Perhaps, the answer is that all creation praises the Lord by being what they were created to be. That may also be the best way to describe how we can praise the Lord: by being what God created us to be, by living faithful and humble lives before God with God’s help.
And Luke’s story gives us several examples.

Mary and Joseph. Despite the amazing and almost unbelievable events surrounding the birth of their son, they continued to observe the practices of their faith. They performed the rituals of Mosaic Law which after required coming to the temple and offering a sacrifice. They honored their faith commitment as responsible parents. The rituals they observed not only marked the transition from one stage to another in their new life as a family, they were a reminder and encouragement from the community of faith to support the parents.

Simeon. Serving in the temple all his life, waiting for a glimpse, a peek at God’s promised hope for the world. How many of us would still trust in a promise made more than eighty years earlier. Yet, Simeon remained hopeful and faithful to God to the end. More than that, he didn’t just stand and observe from a distance, but shared his news, both hopeful good news, and hard, fearful news. And having witnessed God’s salvation for the world, Simeon can courageously accept death.

Anna. Also serving in the temple probably since she became a widow many decades earlier. In her eighties, Anna, too, is graced with seeing the child, the redemption of Jerusalem and the world. And like Simeon, she will not observe silently but shares her testimony, God’s good news, with all who are seeking hope. The word become public.

Mary and Joseph, Simeon, Anna – all praising God by their faithful, humble lives and service to God, lives lived in the light of promise and hope.
By the end of Psalm 148, all creation is praising God. Isn’t that what we find in the Christmas story? The star of Bethlehem, angels, sheep, cows, the mountains and fields, the magi, all offering praise to God at the birth of Jesus. And we, too, join in the celebration every year at Christmastime with decorations, gifts, festive meals, and traveling to visit friends and family.

But for some this is a difficult time. Seasonal depression, loneliness, strained finances, strained relationships, and bittersweet memories can bring a kind of darkness to their lives. How do you praise when you don’t feel like praising? When times are tough? When the news is bad? Or when one is all alone?

By describing all creation praising God, Psalm 148 suggests we are all connected.

There are seasons, Christmas included, in which it may not be easy to find a voice for praise. Sometimes the word or song of praise gets silenced by a lump in our throat, as though we have swallowed too much grief or sorrow or loneliness to utter a sound. Sometimes praise is no more than a whisper, because we are exhausted or afraid or ill. What happens when we ourselves are too sad or too weak to offer praise of God? This psalm exclaims the hopeful, comforting message that we are not isolated or alone in our vocation of praise. From start to finish, Psalm 148 places us within a vast, diverse universe where continual praise is being offered to God: Angels and stars, fire and frost, wild and domesticated animals, men and women, young and old, wealthy and poor … join in a terrestrial and celestial symphony of praise.

So, when our own song or spirit is silenced, praise still fills the space around us. In a time of personal darkness, we may stand in the midst of the congregation or with one other person, we may sit in a field or float on the water, we may listen to the birds of the air or sit with the family pet and let this creation, these creatures, these companions praise God for us until we find our voice again.

Our common vocation, which is to praise, is the heart and soul of our interrelatedness to God, to one another, to the universe. Praise, then, is a gift that brings us out of isolation and into communion. And communion is what Christmas is most truly about: God’s desire to be at one with us, Immanuel, and that in Christ God is reconciling all things. Psalm 148 will give voice for many to the joy experienced in this season. For others struggling through these days, Psalm 148 can offer assurance that they are not alone, left in isolation and silence. Let all creation and the community of faith say for them, “Praise the Lord!”

The Lord’s name be praised! Amen.

Sermon December 18 2011

2011-12-19T11:34:00.001-05:00

Psalm 89 p 475
1I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
2I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
3You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
4‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah
5Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above all that are around him?
8O LORD God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O LORD? Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
10You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11The heavens are yours, the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it—you have founded them.
This is the Word of the Lord….Thanks be to God

Luke 1:26-38 p 831
26In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,27to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.28And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”29But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.30The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.31And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.32He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David.33He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”34Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”35The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.36And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren.37For nothing will be impossible with God.”38Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

This is the Word of the Lord….Thanks be to God

Luke’s Gospel opens with the writer telling us that he is writing “an orderly account…so that we may know the truth”.

But frankly, there could hardly be a less orderly account—a priest struck mute, an elderly woman about to have a baby, and a young woman, in a back water town, visited by an angel, given a surprising and disturbing message.

Throughout the centuries, there has been much art work depicting the event told to us in this morning’s gospel lesson. It is called the Annunciation: The Announcement. And in most of the paintings, there are typically a few things present: Mary, the Angel, the dove, representing the Holy Spirit, a lily, and a book—although sometimes the book is replaced with a spinning wheel or spindle, which represent suitable activities for a young woman.

And, most often, Mary is shown with her head down, or at least her eyes cast down, in a humble, obedient pose. Sometimes she is on her knees, sometimes she is seated on a chair-but most of the time she looks pretty terrified- after all, angels are scary- and the text tells us that Mary was “much perplexed”- in this, she is at least ahead of the shepherds, who also get an angel visitation- they were “sore afraid” in the KJV of the story- that is, scared right out of their socks, if shepherds even wore any socks.

But Mary is “much perplexed”= which translates as “greatly troubled or disturbed”…..well, wouldn’t you be, if you heard this kind of announcement? Your whole future- gone, in an instant, not even counting the singe marks on the ground from an angel of Lord, Gabriel, the messenger, showing up one sunny afternoon, or the worry about how you could possibly go home and tell your parents or your fiancée.

Mary is greeted by the angel as “favored one” or “blessed one”, it could even mean “happy one”- but I’m not sure Mary is happy. Happy doesn’t seem to be one of the things she is feeling at that moment.

Tradition has that Mary was favored because she was extra holy, or without sin, or extremely obedient. But in Mary, God is showing us that God does surprising things and regards us- all of us! With favor and blessing. We are regarded, we are seen, we are noticed by God. And not because we are special, or extra holy, or without sin. Not because we are powerful, or have status, or are shakers and movers. In fact, quite the opposite. But that is what God is like.

The text says that “Mary pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” She pondered—which sounds very calm, and contemplative--
but have you met any 13 yr old girls lately? They are rude—they are pushy—they will drive their mothers to tears and their fathers to all night worry. They will challenge anybody, yell about anything, slam doors, stomp up the stairs, throw hairbrushes- and dispute nearly everything- so when Mary “ponders”, what she is actually doing, says the original Greek, is debating, working "to bring together different reasons, to reckon up the reasons, to reason, to deliberate.”

I think what Mary is doing is wrestling- perhaps in much the same way Jacob wrestled with God. Jacob was visited by an angel, as well, at the river Jabbok, and he wrestled with the angel until daybreak, and limped for the rest of his life from that encounter.

So I’d like us to think of Mary in a different way- not as a passive, pure vessel, ready only to receive, but as someone who is actively engaged with God. Someone like Deborah or Jael, who takes action when called to do so by God. Someone like Jeremiah, the prophet who yelled back at God. Someone like Jacob, who really wrestles with what God is asking her to do. Someone who is weighing the cost of the announcement the angel brings to her.

Someone, perhaps, like each of us.

Because it is my hope and prayer that we do actively engage with God, even wrestle with God. That we do ponder, debate, dispute, what God is doing in our lives—both as the church and as individuals.

God acts in ways that we cannot comprehend—God acts in ways to redeem, and heal, and restore, even when we can’t understand how in the world that might be able to happen.

As the story unfolds, Mary acts as a creative partner with God. God has initiated this wonderful thing; God is doing this. But the word in Greek that means ponder also has the meaning of “to resolve, to come to a conclusion.” And Mary can hardly understand what is about to take place, or how it even CAN take place- how can this be? she asks. But after wrestling, she agrees to take an active part in God’s plan. Because, as a song from the Iona community puts it, Mary says to the angel “Tell God I say yes”. May it be so for us as well.
Amen.

Advent Meditations Week 4

2011-12-18T07:01:00.001-05:00

Advent Devotional Calendar
Monday December 19 Luke 1:1–25
Luke writes, he says “an orderly account”, but the account is anything but orderly. Luke goes back, before Jesus, to an old priest and his wife. In looking back to your life, and the generations before you, are there any places where you see the action of God? Have you ever experienced anything so weird—or so holy—that you couldn’t find words to describe it?
Prayer: Holy One, in prayer or in silence, let us always listen for your Word. Amen.

Tuesday December 20 Luke 1:26–38
A song from the Iona community in Scotland puts Mary’s answer to the angel as this: “Tell God I say yes.” In what ways can you say yes to God in this day?
Prayer: Surprising God, give me a heart that always says yes to you, even when it is risky or uncomfortable or challenging. And then, Lord God, by your Spirit, give me strength and courage. Amen.

Wednesday December 21 Luke 1:39–48a (48b–56)
We know that Elizabeth withdrew from society, and remained in seclusion for these months. It is when Mary visits that Elizabeth gets a real, physical confirmation of what the angel had told- the baby “leaped for joy”. Have you ever had a time when you were waiting on the promises of God? What did you think in that in-between time? How did you get through that time?
Prayer: Lord God, most of our lives seem to be lived in the “in-between” time. Time between your promises and the actual confirmation of that promise. Give us grace to wait and see, for with you nothing is impossible. Amen.

Thursday December 22 Luke 1:57–66
“All of them were amazed” the text says. This gospel that Luke is writing is anything but an orderly account. But that is the way God is—overturning the established way of things, making things new in surprising and joyous ways. What surprising things has the Lord done in your life?
Prayer: Lord, be with us, as we draw close to you. Be with us, as we draw close to Christmas. Be with us, as we hear your surprising good news. Amen.

Friday December 23 Luke 1:67–80
Zechariah’s first words spoken after being struck mute are these: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel”. After a daunting experience, seeing an angel, being struck mute, and nine months of derision by his neighbors, Zechariah’s first words are praise. Is praise always our first response? How will you praise God this Christmas?
Prayer: Faithful God, give us mouths that always give you praise. Amen.

Saturday December 24 Galatians 3:26-27
The church in Galatia struggled with what to believe: there were lots of competing messages, many of which sounded good. Paul writes to the people of the freedom and grace given to them—and to us-in Jesus Christ. The old divisions are gone: we are known only as a child of God. A favorite song often sung on Christmas Eve is, “Children of the heavenly Father.” And thanks be to Jesus Christ, that is who we are.
Prayer: Loving and Compassionate God, thank you that through Jesus Christ, you have claimed us as your own. Amen.

Sermon Dec 11 2011

2011-12-11T13:28:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 p 803
61The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners;2to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn;3to provide for those who mourn in Zion— to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.
4They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.8For I the LORD love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.9Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.
10I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.11For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
This is the word of the Lord….thanks be to God

Psalm 126 p499
1When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
This is the word of the Lord….Thanks be to God

Today is the Third Sunday in Advent. It is the JOY Sunday, the day we light the pink candle. Originally observed only in the city of Rome, it comes from the Latin word "Gaudate"—the day we "Rejoice." And indeed, today’s Scripture lessons call for us to rejoice. We need to take care to understand what it means, though. We are not simply to be happier on Advent's third Sunday. To rejoice is to engage in a radical act and to adopt a certain stance toward God and humanity. It is, in many ways, to defy what the world tells us and shows us, and live out a radical truth—that God is in control, despite what things look like.

Psalm 126 is a Song of Ascents, one of the songs the pilgrims of Israel sang as they went up to Jerusalem. And the Songs of Ascents were joyous, for to be able to go to Jerusalem, the Holy City, was both a requirement for faithful Jews, and a blessing.
But if we look carefully at the psalm, it is not all happy happy joy, joy. It is, in fact, a psalm of lament—of crying out to God. It begins with remembering the great things God has done: “When God restored…the fortunes of Zion”. It begins, not with present praise and celebration, but in looking to the past. The psalmist remembers: The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. But the great things are no more, apparently, because the psalmist’s next words are: “Restore our fortunes, O God”. Literally, “turn, O God”. And then: a prayer, “May those who sow in tears reap with joy”.
The psalmist can pray this, the people of God can sing this, because they have an already established relationship with God. They have experienced the goodness of God—even if they do not see it today, in this moment. Even if there is no joy right now—they can remember, and trust, and look to the future.
The psalmist insists that God will see to it that we who are lost will find our way home, and we who sow in tears will reap with joy.
The prophet Isaiah is speaking, in this morning’s portion, to the people who have returned from exile. And while this is what the people of God longed for, prayed for, cried out to God for, the reality is different from their dreams. Even returned to Jerusalem, there are still problems. The world is still broken. There are still disparities in income, there are still political divisions, there are problems between the people who were brought back from exile, and the remnant who stayed in Jerusalem. The city and the Temple are not restored to their former glory, and Jerusalem does not look like the restored and healed community. The gritty reality of life does not seem to match the promises of the prophets.
But Isaiah says this to the people: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me”, he says, “to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”—the Jubilee year, the time when debts would be forgiven, when land would be returned to the rightful owners, when slaves would be set free. A time when the world would be restored, when economic injustice would end, when theer would be no more mourning, or shame, a time when the world would be healed, not broken.
Jesus spoke those same words, reading from the scroll in his home town synagogue. Those words of good news, of freedom and release. His first sermon, really. And the people were so astonished—and offended that they tried to throw him off a cliff and kill him.
I once heard a woman read these same words as the text during her service of ordination to the office of teaching elder, or minister of word and sacrament. And I was astonished—and offended. Surely, I thought, it is one thing for Jesus to read those words. It is quite another thing for her! But I now think, that the church must claim these words for itself—to speak as the “me” in that text “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the oppressed…to bind up the broken hearted…to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Maybe we should read it as “the spirit of the Lord is upon us…”
Because that is what the church is called to do: to proclaim good news, to bring comfort to those who mourn, to proclaim and enact liberty to captives….to feed the hungry, to clothe the cold and naked, to talk about what God is doing—we, who know God’s actions, we who have a prior relationship with God, we who see that the world needs restoring again.
The promises of God are faithful and true. God, who has restored in the past, will restore again. The word “Promise,” turns out not to be empty, but a word closely related to “mission.” It derives from a Latin word, “pro-missio” meaning, “to send, hence put, in front, hence to engage to (do something).” A promise, then, is a call to take action, to move, to perform a required service. The promises of God become our mission statement.
We do well to look at John the Baptist, out in the wilderness, who when questioned by the authorities, was very clear about who he was not: Not the Messiah, not Elijah, not even a minor prophet. Just a voice, and a witness, pointing to the light, rejoicing as he goes. The church acts as a witness, a voice of testimony, a pointer—and lives out what it is talking about—justice, redemption, restoration, love.
This is work. And it will not always be easy, or popular, or received well. But it is the work we are called to do—Isaiah even mentions work clothes: garments of salvation and robes of righteousness. And we do this work, this rejoicing, this pointing, this witnessing, because of the very nature of God: “ 1 Thessalonians says “the One who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”
The prophet Isaiah uses the language of rejoicing instead of mourning. This talk is rooted in the character of God the faithful. It is as natural as the earth bringing forth its shoots. Restoration and healing happen, because God is acting. It is the nature of the Creator. And so we rejoice. This is the work of the Spirit of the Lord that Isaiah talks about. And we join in that work with joy.
Amen.

Advent Meditations Week III

2011-12-11T13:25:00.001-05:00

Advent Meditation Week 3

Monday December 12
Ephesians 6:10-17
This passage sounds like girding for battle—which it is. But it is interesting to note that all of the equipment, the clothing, is defensive: shields, helmets, breastplates. But what is interesting, in light of all that battle armature, is verse 15: “Put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace”. What can you put on that will prepare you, this Advent season, to proclaim the gospel of peace? Is it reading Scripture? More time in prayer or meditation? More silence?

Prayer: God of peace, so often we feel like life is a battle— with others, with our employers and co-workers, with disease and poverty, with ourselves. Help me to put on whatever will make me ready to proclaim your peace. Amen.

Tuesday December 13Acts 3:17-4:4
“Repent, therefore, and turn to God, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,” says Peter. In the Bible, repenting is always linked to turning- turning away from sin, and turning to God. But the Bible also knows that turning may happen again and again—that we may lose our way, and get lost, and need to turn and return to God. Turn this day to God, and be refreshed and renewed.
Prayer: Holy God, in Christ you have made for us a new way. Help us always to turn to you. Amen.

Wednesday December 14
Malachi 3:16-4:6
16Then those who revered the LORD spoke with one another. The LORD took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who revered the LORD and thought on his name.17They shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will spare them as parents spare their children who serve them.18Then once more you shall see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
“Hail the heav’n born Prince of Peace! Hail the sun of righteousness!” The language for that Christmas carol comes from this passage of Malachi. In what ways is Christ a sun for you? How does the righteousness of Christ affect your life?
Prayer: Righteous One, have mercy on us. Your day is surely coming: let us look to you as our light. Amen.

Thursday December 15
Hebrews 1:1-4

“In these last days God has spoken to us by a Son” says this letter, “through whom he also created the worlds.” The writer of Hebrews tells of Christ not as an infant, but as the word of God, from the beginning of time, when God was creating the heavens and earth. How does that change how you see the baby in the manger?

Prayer: Lord Christ, in the fullness of time, you came to us. Lord Christ, in a mystery of light, you created the world. Lord Christ, you are the word of God. Speak to us now. Amen.

Friday December 16

Hebrews 1:5-14 The angels appear in the nativity story to announce the birth of Jesus. This portion of Hebrews compares the angels and Jesus, and shows that Christ is greater than angels, is God—the angels worship him. We often see angels portrayed in popular culture—but what message do they bring? In what ways are they different from the biblical angels?

Prayer: Christ, you are the son of God, come to dwell with us. With all the angels, let us worship and adore you. Let us ne angels—messengers of your good news. Amen.

Saturday December 17
John 7:40-53

“Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee!” someone in the crowd around Jesus said. People expected a Messiah who came from a much grander place than the back water town of Galilee. But that is the way God works—in surprising ways, in ways that are not like the ways of the world, to save and redeem to build up and heal. Where is an unexpected place you have seen the work of God?

Prayer: Mysterious One, you do not work in ways we understand, and are seen in places we would not expect. Yet you come to us, and to all, to heal and to save. Amen.

Advent Calendar Week 2

2011-12-04T18:20:00.001-05:00

Monday December 5 Psalm 122
In this psalm, the faithful tie together the fate of the temple and the fate of society: they are both bound together, and they will prosper together. The families of the faithful are in there, too- “for the sake of my relatives and friends, I will say “Peace be within you.” In what ways do we see our church relating to the whole community? How often do we see our calling as the church to be the welfare of the larger society?
Prayer: Christ, you came as ruler of the whole world. Help our church to remember and care for others outside our walls. Amen.

Tuesday December 6 Psalm 33
This psalm spans the gamut of a command to praise the God who made all creation, to an assurance that God will keep people alive in famine. The psalm is founded on trust in God’s goodness: “our hearts are glad in him, because we trust in his holy name” says the psalmist. In what do we place our trust? In this Advent season, let us examine ourselves and look at what we really trust in: our own hard work? Luck? The government? Family? A God who comes to live among us?
Prayer: Holy One, we wait for you, for you are our help and shield. Help us always to trust in you, even when the wait seems long. Amen.

Wednesday December 7 Psalm 50
In this psalm, God speaks directly and forcefully to the people. Sacrifices will do no good if the people continue to steal, lie and slander others. It is thanksgiving to God that is seen as an acceptable offering, and a life lived out of that thankfulness. It is very fitting that the Advent season, a time of preparing our hearts for Christ, comes after our American Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is always the correct way to approach and honor God.
Prayer: Let us glorify you, O God, with lives of gratitude. For you are our God, and will show us salvation. Amen.

Thursday December 8 Psalm 18: 1-3, 18-20
The psalmist tells of calling on the Lord. God hears, and bends the very heavens, and comes down. In what ways is the birth of Christ an answer to prayer? In what ways has God heard your cries, and delivered you?
Prayer: Holy One, you hear us, and deliver us. I will call upon your name. Amen.

Friday December 9 Psalm 102
If yesterday’s psalm was a song of hope and trust, this psalm is a psalm of lament. The singer feels that God is hiding, that God is not acting. And yet…the singer also can lament, freely, because he has already experienced God’s great love and mercy, and looks forward to continued action by God. Have you ever felt that God was not responding to you, was absent? How did you feel? What did you do? The psalms of lament remind us that it is not only okay, but a sign of a firm relationship with God, to lament to God.
Prayer: Awesome God, there are often times when you seem absent. We cry out to you, and trust in you. Do not hide, do not forget, but remember us and hear our prayers. Amen.

Saturday December 10 Psalm 90
How many days have you lived? How many more do you think you will live? “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart” says this psalm. The goal of gaining and counting up our years is not to amass wealth, or prestige. It is to have a heart that is wise in God. In God’s time, our lives are short—and yet they still matter. “O prosper the work of our hands!” prays the psalmist.
Prayer: Eternal God, a thousand ages in your sight are like an evening gone. And yet, you remember us, and have sent Christ to us. Prosper the work of our hands, that they may give glory to you. Thank you. Amen.

Advent Devotions Week 1

2011-11-27T07:35:00.000-05:00

Advent Devotional Calendar
Monday, Nov 28 Matthew 21:1-11
The crowds had been waiting for Jesus. Or, more specifically, they had been waiting for the Messiah to arrive…and what they got didn’t look anything like what they had been expecting. A guy, a farmer, a country hick, really, on a donkey…..not on a white steed, not with fan fare and trumpets and weapons…but Jesus. Humble, riding on a donkey.
Advent is a time of waiting. What are you waiting for? Or, rather, who are you waiting for? In what ways does the God who comes to us in Jesus Christ not resemble all of our assumptions about what God is like?
Prayer: Holy God, we are waiting for you. Help us always to receive you as you are, full of humility and grace, and not as we expect you to be. Amen.

Tuesday, Nov 29 Matthew 21:12-22
I’ve always been bothered by this passage. Both the people in the Temple, and the fig tree, were minding their own business—just doing what they needed to do to do business, just trying to grow at the side of the road. And Jesus comes and starts tearing things down. But what I just have noticed, in re-reading, is the word ‘prayer’: “My house shall be a house of prayer, and the tail end of the story, “whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.” Maybe prayer is the point of the story—not getting on with our lives, doing what we’ve always done—but intentionally stopping, and setting aside the day to day, and praying. In faith.
Prayer: Loving and disturbing God, you came in Jesus to set things right, to knock down the things that get in the way of our life with you. Give us breath to pause, and stop, and be with you in prayer at this busy Advent time. Amen.

Wednesday, November 30 Matthew 21:28-32
In the ancient world, when a word, especially by a parent, even more especially by a father, was said, and was heard, it was to be obeyed. Hearing was obeying. There was no alternative. In the parable, however, Jesus tells of a son who at first says no, but afterwards goes and does the work of his father. He then asks the crowd gathered around him: “Which of these did the will of his father?” Is it our words that make a difference, or our actions? Or both? St Francis of Assisi said “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary use words.” In what actions are we telling the Good News?
Prayer: Holy Father, let my words, my actions, my whole life be a reflection of the goodness you have given to all in Jesus Christ. Amen.

Thursday, December 1 Matthew 21.33-44
This was a typical setting in Roman-occupied Palestine. A wealthy land owner bought some land, prepared it, hired tenants to work it, and then went away to another part of the Empire to attend to other business affairs. “While the cat’s away the mice will play” is another saying. Things take a wrong turn—making this parable sound more like an episode of CSI than something in the Bible. And yet, Jesus twists the story and begins talking about a cornerstone. “Christ is our cornerstone” we sing. In what ways is Christ our cornerstone, undergirding our lives? How do we produce fruit in the kingdom of God?
Prayer: Holy One, you are the foundation of our lives, you are the strength we seek. Give us eyes to see you, and lives that produce fruit for your kingdom. Amen.

Friday, December 2 Matthew 22:1–14
Why are we hearing these stories about weeping and gnashing of teeth, during Advent? Isn’t Advent a time of expectant—and hopeful—waiting? Why all this talk about judgment? One of the things we might wonder about is the man who shows up without a wedding garment. He was just pulled in off the street, for heaven’s sake! Maybe he didn’t have a wedding garment! But ancient tradition was that the slaves who invited the people in would also give them a wedding garment—specifically so they would be arrayed in fine clothes, and so they could come without feeling shame if they had no good clothes to wear. The king was giving them everything they needed to come and feast—and the man who showed up without it was directly insulting the king. God has given us all we need in Christ—in what ways are we refusing God’s gracious gifts, by refusing to use them?
Prayer: Generous God, in Christ you have given us all we need. By your Spirit, let us clothe ourselves as your children, your beloved guests. Amen.

Saturday, December 3 Matthew 22:15–22
“Whose head is this?” (literally, whose image is this?) And whose title? Jesus asks the crowd. What images do we have of Jesus? A little baby? A smart young teacher? A rebel against the Roman occupiers? What titles do we use—Lord? Suffering Servant? Savior? The image we have of God, and the language we use, often grew out of our childhood experience. What are some others ways you can think of, some other images to use, as we travel through Advent?
Prayer: Lord God, we are made in your image. Help us not to confuse our image with yours, but only to worship you. Amen.

Tax Time?

2011-10-16T19:08:00.001-04:00

Exodus 33:12-23
12Moses said to the LORD, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’13Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”14He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”15And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.16For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”17The LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”18Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.”19And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.20But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”21And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock;22and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;23then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”
Matthew 22:15-22
15Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said.16So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality.17Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”18But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites?19Show me the coin used for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius.20Then he said to them, “Whose head is this, and whose title?”21They answered, “The emperor’s.” Then he said to them, “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”22When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
Our calendars say “October 16th” today, but according to the text this morning, it is April 15. Tax Time. And the question posed to Jesus is, is it lawful to pay taxes to the government, or not?

In many ways, this question makes no sense to us. Of course we pay taxes. We pay taxes on everything- gas, clothes, cigarettes, our income. The only two sure things in life are death and taxes. But to the people in 1st century Palestine, this is a loaded question. The Pharisees and Herodians are trying to trick Jesus.

And they start with flattery- “We know that you are sincere. We know that you teach the way of God, and that you show no partiality”- and they use an idiom which means, literally, “you do not look at other’s faces”. Which is ironic, because Jesus’ answer is all about faces, and icons, and images.

But first comes the “Gotcha” question: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, to Caesar?” The Jewish people have been taxed by the Romans—in fact, Jesus’ own story began with a tax. Mary and Joseph must travel to Bethlehem, for the census, that all the world should be counted—which was Rome’s way of ensuring an accurate tax roll. Back to the present of the story, the Pharisees and the Herodians think they have him- if Jesus answers “Pay the tax”, then he is colluding with the Roman occupiers, and will lose the support of the common people. If he says “don’t pay the tax” then he is a revolutionary- and a traitor.

Jesus answers their challenge with a question and a challenge of his own: “show me the money”. Actually, he says “show me the coin.” Now coins of the Roam Empire had the image, the icon, of Caesar on them. At this time, archeologists remind us, it would have been "Tiberias Caesar, son of the divine Augustus and our high priest." The coin would have had on the other side an image of the imperial mother, Livia, as the goddess of peace.

And Jesus’ point is this: faithful Jews were to follow the 10 commandments- and the first two are: 1) You shall have no other gods before me, and 2) “You shall make for yourself no graven images”- But the coin of the realm violated both. They featured another god, namely Caesar, and his cast image on the face of the coin.
Which begs the question: what are faithful Jews doing with one of those coins in their pockets? God has forbidden false images and idols. Here are religious leaders, within a stone’s throw of the Holy of Holies, with miniature blasphemies in their change purses. Whether they know it or not, Jesus has just nailed them for hypocrisy. By identifying Caesar’s face on the coin, they have revealed their own inconsistencies. Jesus has just caught them in hypocrisy. Gotcha back!
But this story isn’t a “Jesus is really clever and gets the best of his opponents” story. This story is about whose we are, and who we are, to whom our allegiance is due, and in whose image we are made.

Many of us have heard the moral of the story, the tag line, like this: “render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, and render unto God that which is God’s”.

Which would be easy, and great, if our lives were neatly divided into God areas and not-God areas, two separate columns in the book of life. And some faith traditions have made distinctions between spiritual kingdoms and authority, and temporal kingdoms and authority. But we understand that God is Lord of all our life—not just a portion of it, not just part of it, not just Sunday morning, but all of it.

“The earth is the Lords, and the fullness thereof,” Psalm 24 says, “the world and they that dwell therein”. That’s us- all of us, all of our life. Despite what we might think, given how much of us our jobs and the banks and the credit card companies own, we are the Lord’s. Our baptism was the sign and seal of that—that God claimed us.

Which is comforting—but doesn’t make Jesus’ challenge any easier. Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and render unto God the things that are God’s- well, that looks like all of it, doesn’t it? Does that mean we don’t have to pay taxes?

Do you remember the story of Jonah we acted out a few weeks ago? In that story, the people of Ninevah even had their animals repent, put on sack cloth and ashes- because all of life, all of their belongings, all of everything was involved in repenting and turning to God.

Jesus challenge to us is to see that everything—everything—belongs to God, is under the authority of God. God’s claim on a person has no limits—it embraces all areas of life. In First Peter, the author writes advice to the church: “Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor”. (1 Peter 2:17) Which sounds like the emperor is held in high esteem- certainly a prescription for paying taxes. But when we look carefully, we see that the emperor is held in the same esteem as everyone else. We are to love the family of believers, the church. And we are to fear God.

Moses feared God, although not in a cowering way. And not in a highly anxious, worrying about what kind of God this God is way. Moses feared God, revered God—and yet was able to go toe-to-toe with God, to argue with God on behalf of the people. Moses had a sense of awe that made him brave. Because Moses knew what kind of God, God is. Not a god like Caesar, capricious and vain and scary, but a God who says “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy”…and that is us. We who are made in the image of God, as Genesis says.

So we have Caesar’s face on the coin, and we have the living God, in whose image we are made. A cold metal face on a coin, or the presence of the living God. Which will you choose? To whom do we belong, to whom do we give our allegiance?

I want us to try something this week. When you go home, I want you to look around at your life. The tv? The car? The cat? Your children? But I also want us to wrestle with what Jesus meant when he said “Render unto Caesar…and render unto God.” Because, to be honest, we live in both kingdoms. We pay taxes in the kingdom of Caesar, and we talk about, we pray about, we live in the kingdom of heaven. We are not, I don’t think, going to stop paying taxes any time soon. Some people talk about the church “being in the world but not of the world.” How does our faith shape our daily decisions, including our economic ones? How do we negotiate living out this life of faith, given the economic reality we are in, we who are the 99% the occupiers of Wall Street have been cheering about?

So, as the church, I want us to struggle, together, about what it means to give our whole lives to God. What it means to be made in the image of God—and how that shapes our behavior, our talk, our spending—the whole shebang—all of it, all of life. We can work on discerning, together, how to live before the God in whose image we are made.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

2011-10-10T11:44:00.001-04:00

Exodus 32:1-14 p 69
32When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”2Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”3So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron.4He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”5When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the LORD.”6They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.
7The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;8they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!<9The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.10Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”11But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?12Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’“14And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.
Matthew 22:1-14 p 803
22Once more Jesus spoke to the scribes and the pharisees in parables, saying:2“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.3He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come.4Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’5But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business,6while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them.7The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.8Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.9Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’10Those slaves went out to the borders of the kingdom and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe,12and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And the man was speechless.13Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’14For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Perhaps you have received them: those “save the date” cards, sent months ahead of the actual wedding, so that you can mark your calendar, and make sure you reserve that day for the big wedding. But imagine that you received a save the date card for a royal wedding- perhaps the wedding this past summer of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Imagine your excitement at being invited! Imagine what the reception would be like: the fanciest foods, an open bar, perhaps a champagne fountain and a dessert table- and now imagine, after the food has been bought and carefully prepared, the catering hall reserved, the musicians hired, that you just decided to bag it. Stay home—and not even have a good excuse. “Why didn’t you come? I invited you especially?” the host asks- “oh, no reason really. Just didn’t feel like it”.

The kingdom of heaven is like a wedding banquet—where the guests don’t bother to show up. In Middle Eastern tradition, the event would have been planned, and the guests invited. And as the day drew near, the host, having counted the number of people attending, would slaughter the animals and prepare the festive meal—and look at the menu: oxen and fat calves— think prime rib and lobster, 7 course meals- lavish extravagance! And once the meal was ready, or close to being served, the servants would go house to house and summon the guests to the feast. “All is now ready- it’s time to feast! Please come!”

Except the invitees don’t go. Ken Bailey describes it this way: “Imagine you have invited friends over for dinner. And you have spent all day cooking and cleaning. They come, they are sitting in the living room, maybe having a beverage, talking, and you walk out of the kitchen to say ‘dinner is ready! Come to the table”! and they shrug, give some lame excuse, and then walk out the door…”

Not only do the invited guests in the parable not come, they give rude, half-hearted excuses- the text says “they made light of it”- “whatever”- and then they move from rudeness to violence—they seize the king’s slaves and kill them- all for inviting them to dinner!

They made light of it, the text tells us. - the word literally means: “they did not think about, and thus not respond appropriately to” the gift they had been given—an invitation to the bridal feast, given by the King. Feasting in the Kingdom of Heaven—and the guests just shrug their shoulders and say “whatever”. They do not understand the gift they have received, and so don’t bother to attend.

The king is enraged, and after punishing them and their city, sends more slaves out to find more guests. “Go out and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” So they go out, to the far reaches of the kingdom, and gather in all they find, both good and bad. The first guests were unworthy, and now there are guests, both good and bad, so that the wedding hall was filled.

The Gospel according to Matthew is believed to have been written in the context of a faith community that is struggling. They are Jews who have followed Christ—and they are being shunned by their families, kicked out of their synagogues, pushed out of their homes and jobs. They have received this gift—the Good News of God in Jesus Christ—and they can’t understand why their families, their friends, their loved ones, don’t see things the way they do. What would you do if given the greatest gift? Shrug your shoulders? Walk away?

But the Matthean community also struggled—as we do—as to what a life lived in accepting this gift looks like—what behavior are you going to have, haven been given this gift? How will your life be changed? In looking at you, in your behavior, your actions, your speech, how will I know the good news is good?

The first part of this parable makes sense. But it is the last part that I struggle with—a guest, called in from the street, on the spur of the moment, per the king’s orders, and gets yelled at: “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?”

What?? This guy was just out on the street, minding his own business, when the slaves come and take him to the banquet hall. Apparently there was no time to go home and wash up and change—if the man even had a fancy wedding robe. And then, to pour salt on the wound, the bouncers are called, the man is handcuffed, taken out, and thrown into the outer darkness.

But to the Matthean community, this is not just about the proper attire. It is about behavior. How are we to behave, in light of the great gift and invitation we have received? “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” Galatians says. “You have put on Christ, in Christ you have been baptized!” we sing at baptisms.

If we are invited to the feast, then we should behave as if at a feast. Behave as grateful people. “Rise to the occasion”.

“What we do matters because who we are matters” David Bartlett says of the Gospel of Matthew. The life we live counts for something. And the WAY we live counts for something. Our own Book of Order calls us to live lives that “are a demonstration of the Christian gospel in the church and in the world.” (BOO G-6.0106) Our good works do not save us—that is the action of Christ. But we respond with thanksgiving—we do not treat lightly the gift we have been given. “If our doing good is not good, and our doing bad not genuinely bad, if there is neither judgment nor condemnation, then grace itself is thin and wasted.” It is not cheap grace, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it. It is not wasted grace. It is costly grace. We cannot just shrug our shoulders and walk away.

When I was in Mexico, I went to the cathedral every morning, as a way to practice some Spanish. And every morning, the poor and the homeless would gather in and around the cathedral. I saw one man there every morning—dirt poor, sleeping on the sidewalks, with a little plastic bag of clothing and belongings carefully tied up beside him. Now, Mass was said in the cathedral every morning. But Sunday, of course, was the most crowded, the best attended. So on Sunday morning, going to Mass, I saw the same homeless man again. That morning, though, he was pulling a garment out of his tattered plastic bag of clothes. It was a white guayabara- the kind of formal shirt Mexican men wear for special occasions. This man, who had so little, was dressing up to go to Mass, to go to the feast. He knew what a gift he was receiving, and he was dressing and acting accordingly.

Now I am not suggesting we go back to the days of shirts and ties, dresses and heels for church attendance. But Christ calls us to live lives of such gratitude that it is visible—just like our clothing. Perhaps Colossians paints a picture of how this garment will look: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other…above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” That is a garment fit for a royal wedding.

More Parables

2011-08-29T12:58:00.001-04:00

Matthew 13: 31-33 p 795
31Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field;32it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”33He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.”

This is the word of the Lord…..thanks be to God

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed- the smallest seed, at least in that part of the world. the kingdom of heaven is like a seed that is so small that you can barely see it, so small that we don’t notice it when it gets mixed in with other seeds, or gets blown on the wind and plants itself in a field. The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, that grows into the greatest of shrubs, and keeps on growing, so big, that it stops being a shrub and becomes a tree, a tree for the birds to come and nest in, a tree to take shade under, a tree that grows beyond our wildest imaginations. Except in the Middle East, the mustard seed is a weed, that invades fields and takes over if you don’t pull them out. Last week’s parable warned against trying to pull the weeds growing among the wheat. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s wheat and what’s weed, and besides, uprooting weeds may damage the wheat. This parable gives us another truth: maybe what we think are weeds are also the kingdom of heaven.
I guess that means…the kingdom of heaven is like some offensive plant you can’t control, that spreads and grows while we are sleeping. The kingdom of heaven is like weeds that disturb the beautiful, neat rows of corn and wheat, and seems not to care about fences or proper boundaries.
Or, to say it another way, the kingdom of heaven is like yeast—not yeast as we know it, in neat little packets or jars, but yeast that is like sourdough- a bit of wet bread left to sour on the countertop, yeast spores that blow in on the wind, yeast that smells bad, yeast that was considered a corruption, in Jewish thought- but yeast that when hidden in three measures of flour- enough to make bread for 150 people. And the one hiding it in the flour is a woman.
Strange kingdom. It comes from small things: tiny seeds, a small amount of yeast. This kingdom turns things upside down, breaks the rules, makes us feel uncomfortable.
And the kingdom of heaven is active, even when we don’t see it—seeds sprouting in the dark of the earth, even while we sleep. Yeast working when we are away from the kitchen, busy with other things. Unusual kingdom.

Matthew 13: 44-51 p 795
44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls;46on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.47“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind;48when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad.49So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous50and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.51“Have you understood all this?” They answered, “Yes.” And he said to them. “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
This is the word of the Lord……thanks be to God

Perhaps you’ve seen them. The shows about finding treasure where there was no treasure to be seen, sometimes hidden in plain sight. You know them: Antiques RoadShow, Storage Wars. Pawn Stars, History Detectives, and now even a show named Buried Treasure. Perhaps you’ve even wondered if you had any treasures in your own home—and it is certainly what drives the numerous yard sales and garage sales!
Finding treasure, finding something hidden, something precious, is the stuff that dreams and stories are made of. It doesn’t have to be discovered in a sunken pirate ship, or buried on a desert island. Maybe it’s among your Aunt Anna’s castoffs, or tucked away in a cobwebbed corner of your garage or basement.
And hat’s what those tv shows show us. People who find an old Barbie doll, from 1963. A sword from the Civil War. An painting that was said by some in the family to be a Picasso. Things that are new and old. And sometimes it has huge payoff- and sometimes it’s just ordibnary, but people think it’s a treasure just the same, because it sat over Aunt Betty’s sideboard all those years, and was part of every Sunday dinner, and is now part of the family life and lore.
As crazy as it seems, this is what the kingdom of heaven is like.
Jesus says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure in a field, hidden, which someone found and then hid again—and then in his joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Or the kingdom of heaven is like the pearl of great price—which the merchant, trained in the what makes for an excellent pearl, has seen, one day, amid shovelfuls of pearls, years of pearls- He recognizes this is the one- and he sells all that he has and buys it.
Both the buyer of the field and the merchant recognize something of great worth when they see it, and take action. They give all that they have, risk everything, for that one pearl hidden among others, for the field with its hidden treasure.
The kingdom of heaven is like a nearly invisible mustard seed, like yeast, like buried treasure, like a valuable pearl. God’s kingdom starts small, often in unseen ways, working while we are not even aware. But God’s kingdom and rule is not in some far off place that requires a special map: "X" marks the spot right here, right now, in all the ordinary people and places and activities of our lives. That is the Good News: God’s kingdom is here, and we are part of that kingdom-we are the treasure, we are the pearl of great value. Christ is the one who gave up everything to buy us, to redeem us, by his teaching, his healing, his embodying God’s love even as he died for us. And so we rest, and breathe, and live, knowing that we are claimed by God.

The kingdom of heaven is like a fishing net, which brings in fish of every kind. And hidden among the catch waiting to be sorted are the good eating fish, much like the wheat and the tares in last week’s parable. But what is good and bad? Does good require righteousness? How is that righteousness lived out? How can I ever be good enough?
Fortunately, we are not the ones deciding who is a good fish and who is bad, who is in, who is out- and thanks be to GOD! The kingdom of heaven, like the mustard seed and the leaven, is wild and untamed and in a way uncontrollable—thanks be to God—otherwise, it would look like every other kingdom and realm in the history of the world- but it does not—“and that upsets our boundaries and categories, [as] it grows and spreads and takes root in unexpected ways, in unexpected people, until what we thought we knew is transformed and redeemed by our surprising, invasive, sometimes hidden God.”
Last year, we looked at the book of Revelation, and talked about apocalypse: which means an unveiling, a drawing back of the curtain, a showing of what is hidden, what is actually the real reality. What we have in these parables about the kingdom of heaven is also an apocalypse, a revealing- what seems to be so on the surface is not. And what is hidden is the real truth. The kingdom of God is small, at first, hidden, but active, and growing. The kingdom of heaven is about judgment—good and bad. And the kingdom of heaven is also about ordinary things: weeds, yeast, fields of dirt, somebody at work, fish in the sea, our everyday lives, things old and new, right here and right now.
When asked by Jesus if they understood the parables, the disciples said “yes”. I’m not sure that we can ever fully understand these parables, or understand God. But perhaps our understanding grows, even as seeds grow, as we take things out, old and new, and examine them in our lives, moments when God was made real, when God’s action, God’s rule, previously hidden, is now seen, when we realize we are treasured by God, that we are the fish gathered into God’s kingdom.
The kingdom of heaven doesn’t play by the rules of this world. It is God who is in charge, God who plants, God who stirs things up, God who chooses, God who finds, God who saves. May we have eyes to see and ears to hear the goodness of God, even in our ordinary lives. Thanks be to God.

Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds

2011-08-22T12:50:00.001-04:00

Isaiah 44:6-8 p 587
6Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.7Who is like me? Let them proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from of old the things to come? Let them tell us what is yet to be.8Do not fear, or be afraid; have I not told you from of old and declared it? You are my witnesses! Is there any god besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.
This is the word of the Lord…thanks be to God
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 p. 794
24Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field;25but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away.26So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.27And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’28He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’29But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them.30Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”36Then Jesus left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”37He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man;38the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one,39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.40Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.41The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,42and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

This is the word of the Lord…thanks be to God

Last week we heard the parable of the sower and the seeds. The Sower casts wonderously, extravagantly, generously- and the seeds fall where they will.
In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is compared to a field that has been planted—with good seed, we are told, but an enemy creeps in, in the middle of the night, and sows bad seed- tares, or bearded darnel, a weed that looks like wheat, at least on first glance, and is not only a weed, but is poisonous as well.
And the farm hands are given these instructions: don’t pull up the weeds, but leave it, until the harvest. Let them grow together. At the end, at harvest time, the farm owner will have workers collect the weeds, and bundle them, and burn them. But the good seed, the wheat, will be gathered into the barn.
So, the first surprise, at least for me is this-- An enemy sneaks in, at night, and…..sows more seeds? Of all the things an enemy could do, why would they sow seed- why not burn the field? Why not plow salt into it, the way that ancient conquerers did to their enemies.
But this is the way evil enters into our world and our lives…quietly, silently, not with a bang, or even a whimper, but…..without our noticing. While we are sleeping.
In many ways, this parable is about evil—and theodicy, a fancy word for why bad things happen to good people. “You sowed good seed, didn’t you, master?” the slaves ask the house holder. “Where, then, did these seeds come from?” But, much to our dismay and frustration, the house holder never really answers this question. All we get is “an enemy has done this….” Basically, a shrug. It happens, the householder seems to be saying.
The householder doesn’t seem upset, doesn’t seem anxious, doesn’t seem to feel a need to take any action—a this time
And that’s the next surprise—“let the weeds grow up with the wheat.” Really? We in America spend a great deal of time weeding—we pull, we spray, we mulch, we plow between the rows.
And the weeds keep coming back. Maybe that’s why the house holder doesn’t seem too fussed about all this—he knows what weeds are like—persistent. Sneaky. Very clever-the darnel, the weed, looks a lot like wheat. And its roots become entangled with the wheat, some say—so pulling out the weed will also damage the wheat crop.
The householder is wise enough to know to let the weeds grow along with the wheat—because the householder also knows that, in the end, there will come a judgment, and a separating—the weeds to be burned, and the wheat to the storehouse, the barn.
His barn—not just any barn. But it is not those workers, the ones working in the field right now, the ones asking the question of “shouldn’t we DO something?” who will be the ones to gather, and sort, to burn or store.
That will be God.
There is judgment in the Gospel of Matthew. There is a real sense of evil, and sin, in the world and even among the faithful, and judgment. So this passage not only asks about theodicy-why bad things happen to good, “righteous” people, in the faith community, but also asks questions about our selves—
Where does our sin come from? Do we have weeds, or wheat, growing inside us? Will there be judgment—and what will it be like?
Rob Bell, a famous pastor and preacher, at least in the evangelical. Emergent church crowd, famously wrote the book earlier this year “Love Wins”. And he has been hammered for it—for in it, Bell writes that the overwhelming message of God in and through Jesus Christ is love. Not punishment. Not judgment—not eternal fire. Love. And many people did not like that, did not want to hear that.
So what are we to do, then, with this passage?
Jim tells the story of visiting a church in the Czech Republic. During the days of the Cold War, the days of the Soviet Regime, a pastor was holding services. Which was dangerous. To be a believer was not a good thing. And one day, the pastor found a list of names, left on a pew. Someone had been coming to worship, and writing down who was attending church. The pastor had an idea of who the writer might be. Because turning people in to the Soviet sponsored government was one way to get ahead.
But, in the years after, the grip of the Soviet block weakened, and was eventually overthrown. So now, there were files, that were now open to the public. Not only with names of who had been targeted, but also names of the informers. Members of their own congregations! What will the church do? Will the church weed out those who conspired against them? Will the church decide, like South Africa, to live out forgiveness and reconciliation? Will the church wait—knowing that God is our judge? What will the church do?
For this parable is first and foremost a parable about the church. The community of the faithful, gathered in Christ’s name, to worship God. The explanation in the text, given after the parable, is written for the Matthean community—the early church, asking what do we do with people, our own members, who are evil, who are sinful, who disagree with us, who cause trouble, who are hurtful to others—what do we do??
And the less than satisfying answer is “wait”. Wait. Take the long view—because, in the end, it is God who will sort it out. The same God who made the world, who rules over it now, will bring it to completion at the end.
Now, this is not a “don’t worry, be happy” kind of answer. It instead, rests on trust in God. The Psalmist wrestles with the same problem. In Psalm 36, She writes of evildoers: “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in their hearts….the words of their mouths are mischief and deceit….they plot mischief while on their beds; they are set on a way that is not good….” But the answer is this: “Your steadfast love”, your chesed, your trustworthiness. Lord, extends “to the heavens” that is, it fills the universe. And then, a final plea from the Psalmist to God: “Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me, or the hand of the evildoers drive me away.”
The Psalmist knows, as we say “Our help is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”
But what are we to do, in this between time? What are we to do, when we want to take action, we want to root out evil, in our hearts, in our communities, in our churches? What are we to do—we want action!
We are to wait: in trust, because we trust God. We are to wait: because we might be mistaken about the difference between what is truly weed, and what is truly wheat. And we are to wait, because digging up the weeds might endanger the wheat.
As you might know, the Presbyterian church has struggled- for a long time about how to deal with our differences. Do we live with others who disagree with us, who think differently from us? Where is the line in the sand? Last year, some major changes were made to the PCUSA Constitution, including those that changed language for those seeking ordination in the church. Faithful people, on both sides of this issue, struggle about when to stay, and when to go- is the church so broken that we need to leave? Is the disagreement between us so large that I cannot in good conscience stand with you? Do we need to root out those who disagree with me?
Many congregations struggle with people who are hurtful—in action, in words, in intent. Where is the line between being the church, the body of Christ, and being hurt and abused? Where is the line in ourselves, between wheat and weeds?
The parable calls us to wait. But in our waiting, we are not to be passive: we are called to grow and thrive. We are called to shine like the sun.
“Bloom where you are planted” is an old saying. I don’t really like it: I think it is too simplistic, too cheery, that it is a quick, Hallmark card kind of answer to what are some of life’s deep and intricate problems.
But, apparently, this is part of what this parable teaches. For this parable is about the kingdom of God—the community of God.
A kingdom that is like a field, in which not just one type of plant grows. Where good and evil exist—at least for a time—together.
I saw a glimpse, a little bit, of what that kingdom looks like. And I saw it at Camp Whitman this past week.
Camp Whitman has been rocked by the death of one of their counselors. He died doing what he loved: snorkeling. And here is the kind of person Graham was: earlier in the summer, Graham had a few campers who were frightened of the water, and had what was for them a scary and difficult experience in the water. Graham asked for extra waterfront time with them, so that that scary experience would not be the way they remembered camp. He wanted them to love the water and camp as much as he did.
But his death has rocked that faith community, causing people to ask why did this happen, and why did it happen to Graham? Where was God in all this? Why wasn’t he saved? Didn’t they pray hard enough? Was Graham not faithful enough? Why did death and evil rear its head at camp, of all places?
And yet-here is where the glimpse of the kingdom of God was. At camp. At talent show night, of all things. The camp had made the decision to go ahead, and try and make this past week as normal a week for the campers- campers of all ages and faith development and races and backgrounds, campers with developmental disabilities, campers with not much talent, frankly, some of them- all were welcomed at the talent show. And there was joy—even in the midst of soul shattering grief, and questions about evil, and God’s action or lack of it.
Those campers sang—and danced—together. They laughed and they hugged, and they all clapped for everyone’s talent- what ever it was. They bloomed where they were planted—even in the midst of death and grief and evil. They shone like the sun. Thanks be to God. Amen

Sermon Aug 14 2011

2011-08-19T17:44:00.001-04:00

Isaiah 55:10-13
10For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 12For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall be to the LORD for a memorial, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3And he told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4And as he sowed, some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6But when the sun rose, they were scorched; and since they had no root, they withered away. 7Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9Let anyone with ears listen!”

18“Hear then the parable of the sower. 19When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”

The Parable of the Sower

Parables are a mystery: they have a twist, a surprise in them. They are like a joke with an unexpected punch-line, which is what makes it funny. And parables use ordinary things, out of everyday lives, to talk about the surprises of God’s kingdom.

Listen: a sower went out to sow. And he sows the seed all over the place willy-nilly, apparently. That’s our first surprise. There doesn’t seem to be much planning, much plotting. In first century Palestine, farmers would scatter the seed first, and then plow the thin soil over it later. So it makes sense that some of the seed would land on rocks, perhaps, or in thorns.

But this doesn’t seem to be a very smart or, at least fortunate, farmer. Most of the seed lands on inhospitable places: some on a well worn path, some on rocky soil, some among the thorns. And that seed fails to thrive – pretty much a total loss. Only a portion falls on good soil. So, in the story, only one out of the four places where the sees lands is any good. Not a very good average. Not a very smart business plan.

In fact, to our ears, the farmer seems wasteful. Seed is expensive, it takes a great deal of effort to plant, and till, and harvest, and even in the best of years farming is risky. So wouldn’t the wise farmer, the prudent farmer, do a better job of sowing seed where there would be a better chance of a good harvest? Even in first century Palestine, surely, the farmer could have been a little more careful with the seed.

Ah- but this is not the Parable of the Wise Farmer. It is not the Parable of the Farmer who planned well. Sometimes this is called the Parable of the Soils.

And that is where we usually enter into this story. Because, in all stories, whether from our childhood, or the books we read, or the stories we see on television, we want to feel connected to the story. Especially in parables, we ask ourselves, “Where am I in this story?”

And this parable is usually told, and preached, and understood, this way: “Which kind of soil are we?” Are we rocky soil where faith never even has a chance to take root? Are success and wealth choking out the word of God in our lives? Are the troubles of life burning, scorching our shallow faith?

This parable is preached this way because that is Jesus’ answer when the disciples ask Jesus what the parable means. And all of those are might be true for us, at different times in our lives. We all, I think, have had times when we felt choked by life, or scorched by life, or alone and vulnerable. Times when we have felt God’s mercy and love was absent, that we were dry and parched, so burdened that nothing could grow in us.

Or perhaps this story about soil is a way of understanding our families. Perhaps that’s another surprise, or at least a puzzle: why is it that so many of us have grown up in families, with brothers and sisters, going to church—and some of us stay, and some of us never darken the door again? Why is it that the same lessons were heard, the same Sunday School classes attended, the same hymns sung, and some hear and bloom, and some do not?

Every year, we have Vacation Bible School. And every year, after the songs have been sung, after the ice cream wrappers have been picked up, after the decorations have come down and the floor has been swept, we say, “Oh, if only we could get those children to come back!” And some of us wonder if it is worth it. If it is working: why do so many come for a week in the summer, and we never see them again, until next summer? Why do their parents show up on Friday in the middle of the day, but they do not come the rest of the year? Why do we put so much time and energy and money into something that is only 20 hours a year out of a child’s life? And many, not just in our churches here, but in many churches are asking if now isn’t the time for VBS to be done. Over with. Certainly, in this technology savvy age, in which even the 7 year olds have cell phones to call their mom at the end of the day, in which nearly every child has access to computers, or at least an X-box or Wii, singing songs, making crafts, doing home science experiments, and racing around on the grass outside just aren’t cutting it. This doesn’t seem to be a very good use of resources and time.

Ultimately, though, parables are not about us. They are about God. They are about the mysteries of God, and about God’s mysterious grace.

And that is the third surprise. This story is about God’s Profligate, overflowing, abounding grace. Not grace that is carefully meted out, nor even grace that is carefully planned in strategic ways. It is about grace that is seemingly wasted. It is about grace that overflows like water, overflowing the edges of the bowl, grace that flows down like might waters, grace that goes everywhere- rocky soils, well worn paths, thorny areas—grace that just goes!

“This parable is not about what good soils we are, and how well we understand the divine mysteries. This is about what God is doing in staggering numbers. …If the return is really a hundredfold, then those bumper crops will flood the market. Everyone will have some, including those with hardened hearts.” It will be like zucchini season- when we’ve got so much, we don’t know what to do with it anymore—so much zucchini that we’ve run out of ways to cook it, so much that we are reduced, as Garrison Keillor says, to sneaking over to our neighbors in the middle of the night and leaving them bags of zucchini on their porch- when they already have all that they could ever need as well.

For look- listen! God’s grace is so overflowing that even the bad soil gets the seed. The logical place to sow seed would certainly be on good soil, or at least soil as good as we could make it. And the logical thing to do would be to sow seed more carefully, on soil that would be guaranteed to gives us a good yield- but that’s not what happens in this story.

“This parable is like a joke, like a riddle—hiding as much as it reveals about God. It leaves us scratching our heads about what this really means, and about the world as we know it, and about what God is up to.

And what God is up to, Always, Always, is about grace. This sower is “a high-risk sower, relentless in indiscriminately sowing seed on all soil—as if it were potentially all good soil….Which leaves us to scratch our heads, and wonder if there is any place or circumstance in which God’s seed cannot sprout and take root.”

The surprise is this: God’s grace goes in places that seem guaranteed not to work. Gods grace gets thrown in places and on people that we might think of as hopeless, lost causes. Because for God there are no lost causes. The rain falls on the just and the unjust. Grace is for people who think they don’t deserve it, cannot be good enough, are so broken God couldn’t-ever-love and forgive them. Isaiah reminds us of this: the word of the Lord, the grace of God, shall not return to me empty, God says. But deserts shall rejoice, and bloom. Grace shall fall on dry places, and barren places, and rocky places, and thorn infested places—and people.

Let us who have ears hear. Amen.

Sermon Aug 7 2011

2011-08-19T17:42:00.002-04:00

Psalm 145:8-9, 14-21 p. 506
8The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
14The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.
15The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
16You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
Matthew 14:13-21 p796
13Now Jesus withdrew in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns.14When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick.15When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”16Jesus said to them, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”17They replied, “We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.”18And he said, “Bring them here to me.”19Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.20And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.21And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
This is the word of the Lord…..thanks be to God

If there was only one story you could tell, what would it be? You know, the kind of story that sums up, in one caption, one illustration, the kind of person a person is? We often tell these stories after someone has died. We heard many stories about Jean this past week. If there was one story we could tell about Jesus Christ, about what God is doing in Jesus Christ, what would we say?

This story, of the feeding of the 5000, is the only story to appear in all of the 4 of the gospels. This story must have meant something deep and wonderful to the early church, a way to explain who Christ was, and what God is like.

I can imagine the disciples telling the story, years after the event: a little embarrassed, perhaps, laughing in that sort of shamefaced way….”well, we were just trying to be practical, you know- it was really late, and the people were a long way from home…and then—and then- Jesus looked at us and said “you give them something to eat…….” And then the smiles began, and perhaps a few tears- “and so, we gave him what we had- which wasn’t much!” and then we took up baskets- large baskets- of leftovers- we started with practically nothing, and there were leftovers- 12 baskets- we each went around and collected what was left over- that’s what I can’t get over- we all ate, and had enough to eat, and there were leftovers after having practically nothing at all!”

What kind of God is God? What kind of Savior is Jesus?

A God who is concerned with us on a bodily level. A God who knows that talk is cheap. That hungry people don’t care about religion—they only want to see that their children get fed.

And a God who calls us to participate in miracles.

Very early in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is in the wilderness, tempted by Satan. And Satan shows him all the stones lying on the ground—“turn these into bread” Satan says. People will follow you, you will be popular, you will rule the world if you can feed them. It was a strategy that was working for the Roman army—bread! The people may not like the oppressors, but at least there was bread!

But in that wilderness, Jesus resisted, turned down Satan’s offer. He did not want to rule by being a “bread king”. Here, out in this wilderness, Jesus sees the crowd, and has compassion. Why feed them now? Perhaps it is this: he turns to the disciples and says: You give them something to eat.

Yikes. 5 loaves and two fish. Not even enough for 12 disciples, much less 5000 men and their families. And yet, they hand it over to Jesus.

And Jesus looks up to heaven, and blesses the bread, and breaks it, and hands it out. And there is enough. More than enough—an overflowing, abundant more than enough. Enough so there are leftovers- 12 baskets of leftovers. Twelve BIG baskets—and the words there mean a surprising abundance, more than expected, more than just enough.

We have talked recently about being co-laborers with God, co-participants with God’s work in the Kingdom. It is true here- Jesus calls the disciples to be part of the solution—“you give them something to eat”. It is a participatory miracle. Jesus intends to bless people through the works of his followers. As someone has said, Jesus could just as easily have made a happy meal—or at least the 1st century version of a happy meal—show up in everybody’s lap, and it would have been just as much a miracle. But that’s not what Jesus did. And it’s not the way God calls us to work in the world as followers of Christ.

The church finds its identity when it participates in the mission of God. We are followers of Christ when we are joining the mission of Christ’s compassion to the world. The church knows who it is and what it is doing when we are involved in doing the work- the compassionate, merciful work—of God. I have a friend who says “be careful what you pray for—because God just might use you to be part of the solution.” Praying about the hungry people? God will move you to help. Concerned about domestic violence? God will find a way to use you.

We feed people here. One Great Hour of Sharing. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. The food pantry, the mobile food truck. Free Friday lunch. The clothing drive. Ask anybody who’s worked those events—how moving it is, to be able to help people. The Food pantry truck was in Burdett last week- the entire truck was emptied in 40 minutes.

But we have to remember it is God who is feeding—and we are hungry, and are fed, as well. In Session this week, we talked about where we find ourselves fed: in church, at this Table, in Sunday School, when we are serving others. In a few minutes we will go to the table, and we will celebrate the gifts of God for the people of God. We will be pass the bread around, just as it was passed in that Galilean wilderness all those years ago. We will be fed with God’s amazing, surprising abundance and grace. We will have leftovers, as well. We will tell the story of what God is like, and how God cares for us through Christ, and how we are to care for the world that God so loves. Amen.

Cooperative Providence

2011-07-18T13:58:00.001-04:00

Sermon (Romans 8:18-30)

This morning we continue reading Paul’s letter to the house churches in Rome. Now I know Paul can get a little wordy and his logic a little convoluted. All right, maybe more than just a little. But Paul is passionate, and he is trying to describe God at work in his life, in the church, and in the world. Before I read this morning’s text which continues where we left off last week, let me try to recap the journey Paul has taken us on.
Paul begins his letter reminding his audience that the gospel isn’t a story about God’s power. The gospel is power, the power of God for salvation. It is Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection give witness to a God who loves us just the way we are, who loves us too much to leave us powerless and at the mercy of Sin and death, and whose love is stronger even than death. It is the human predicament that we find ourselves unable to do the things we know we should do, or to stop doing the things we know we shouldn’t. And we are helpless to change ourselves.
Paul can declare in Christ there is now no condemnation. Through Christ we have been given the gift of God’s Spirit that frees us from setting our minds on things that are destructive to our relationships and to ourselves. We are able now to set our minds and reorient our whole being on the things that are life-giving. It is the Spirit that makes us children of God who can pray, “Abba,” that is, “Our Father.” But the powers of Sin and death aren’t done yet. As children of God, we who are “joint heirs with Christ” also suffer with him so that we may also look forward to being glorified with him.
That brings us to this morning’s text: Romans 8:18-30, found on page 919 in your pew Bible. Listen for the word of God.
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18I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; 20for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; 23and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
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Did you hear all that “creation” language? “Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” Creation hopes for the day it “will be set free from its bondage to decay.” Creation groans in “labor pains.”
Up to this point in his letter, Paul has been describing the human condition. Christ has come; Sin and death are on their way out. But we still struggle daily to avoid the siren call of the powers of this world which perpetuate fear and tell us to worry only about ourselves. At the same time we long for the day when wars will cease, people will have enough to eat, children will grow up in safe and nurturing families, and broken relationships will be restored.
Now Paul expands our vision. It is not only human beings who are struggling, who are suffering, who know life is not as God intended. It is not only we who long for God’s promised kingdom. All of creation longs for that day as well.
The word Paul uses for this longing comes from the image of one straining the neck in anticipation. Think of a person on a train platform waiting for the arrival of their beloved who has been away for a long time. Maybe you’ve been that person eagerly waiting the time when you will be reunited. Then you hear the train whistle in the distance – you know the train is coming soon. Everyone waiting walks toward the edge of the platform straining their neck to catch of glimpse of the engine. That’s what Paul is describing. Creation is waiting on tiptoes straining its neck for a glimpse of God’s coming kingdom.
Creation is waiting on tiptoes because all of creation is broken. In many places in our world you can see the effects of human presence. Cities are overcrowded, choked with smog, endless suburbs and traffic jams. The folks in the Los Angeles area have been preparing for Carmeggedon – the shutdown of the 405, which is the main thoroughfare from the valley to downtown. The media were even telling folks to stay home rather than risk getting caught in gridlock on alternate routes.
Maybe Paul was ahead of his time or perhaps his friends Priscilla and Aquilla who were from Rome told him about the city. Rome had become a burgeoning metropolis at the center of the empire. It was no longer able to support itself having to import its water through an extensive network of aqueducts, and its food via fleets of cargo ships. Some would say these were Rome’s weaknesses and the cause of its downfall.
Fortunately, we here in the Finger Lakes are somewhat isolated from this. I hear often from folks who visit this area how beautiful this area is. Jim & I love taking walks up Tichenor Rd. The vineyards, the corn fields, the view of the other side of the lake – all of it is so idyllic. But if we’re honest, we face environmental concerns here, as well. And I don’t even have to bring up drilling in the Marcelles Shale or the Liquid Petroleum Gas storage facility.

But creation is not giving up in despair; it waits like Paul, like us, like all who are in Christ, in hope for what God has promised will happen, and already shown in Jesus Christ: our redemption. And that is the first point I want to leave you with: Creation is not once and done; it didn’t just happen “in the beginning.” God is still at work creating.
Yes, there are some in the wider Church who insist it happened just as the Bible said in six days. While folks from the Intelligent Design camp argue that God created the whole universe according to a blueprint established from the very beginning. And there are those who argue it all happened without the need for a god. I look around at the world and I see a Creator behind it, a very great one, to whom I give thanks.
Still, most of the arguments about creation focus on what happened long ago and seem to suggest it was all set in motion and now runs on autopilot. Less attention is given to what God is doing now. Yet, the scientific evidence points to a continually evolving creation with some species dying out and new ones being created. And the biblical witness attests to a God who is still creating, still involved with creation.
One analogy is God as playwright who directs her own play. God gives general direction, but allows the actors the freedom to improvise, or even rewrites part of the script to accommodate the players. God the creative and flexible playwright; a creator who keeps on creating. By the way, the classical word for this is providence.
This evolving, living, God-guided creation is groaning in labor pains. But did you also hear: we, too, who have been given the gift of the Spirit, also groan with creation. And there’s another connection. Paul writes that the Spirit who “helps us in our weakness … intercedes [for us] with sighs too deep for words.” I love the poetry of that phrase and I give the translators kudos for its beauty, but what Paul actually writes is this: the Spirit intercedes for us with inexpressible groans. God’s Spirit is so close to our hearts that words are not necessary.
Creation groans, we groan, the Spirit groans. We’re all connected – that’s the second point. Just as creation’s suffering is in some ways a consequence of human action, so its hope for freedom and renewal is connected to and dependent upon us, the children of God. That is also something science has discovered: life on this planet is interconnected, a web of life. Life in God’s Kingdom is based on relationship. Paul reminds us God’s Spirit helps us to see our connection with creation.

Some see this as a clear call for us to be good stewards of the earth. We can’t turn a blind eye to the problems in creation anymore than we can ignore the needs of people around us. If we as Christians give up on creation, we give up on God, the one has made us and sustained us. It’s the Spirit that nudges us to notice and be sensitive to the groaning of the world. But if that seems too much, Paul also tells us the Spirit is our connection and creation’s connection to God. This is why we along with all of God’s creation can wait eagerly with patience. If God the creator is still creating and guiding, if we have been promised adoption as children of God, if the future of creation is connected to our future, then we and creation can wait with hope.
Here’s the third point. We don’t get to wait with hope by sitting around twiddling our thumbs. We have a part to play aided by the power of God’s Spirit. Here’s what Paul says, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.”
Frankly, this is a difficult sentence to translate and too many have wrongly interpreted Paul to mean, “Don’t worry; everything always works out just fine for believers.” A better version of the text says this: “We know that in all things, God is working toward the good … together with those who love God,” together with us.
Paul makes a very strong claim for providence but it is a kind of cooperative providence. We cooperate in providence by working toward what we hope God intends. We cooperate in providence by looking for God’s hand in the beauty and mystery of creation.
What we are not allowed to do as Christians is to say that it’s all up to us and if we can just figure out the right plan, we can solve this problem. Nothing in heaven or on earth is all up to us. We’re too little and it’s too late. What we are allowed to do as Christians is to look for those moments and those places where God is moving the whole creation out of its groaning toward the fulfillment of God’s promises. What we are invited to do is to take our role in God’s great drama.
And Paul, having glimpsed the glory of where this drama is going, can only conclude in doxology, giving praise to the God who will never abandon us.

You're Welcome!

2011-06-28T16:01:00.001-04:00

Psalm 89: 1-4 p 475
1I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
2I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
3You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
4‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.’”

Matthew 10:40-42 p 791
40“Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.41Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous;42and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

Welcome. We see and hear that word a lot. On our doormats. On signs in our homes, usually hung up in the kitchen. Even at the store: “Welcome to Walmart”! We are told.
Some people have the spiritual gift of hospitality. They know how to welcome people, and they do it well. It does not mean that there are elaborate plans made, elaborate feasts prepared. It does not mean they act like Martha Stewart. But by careful observation, these gifted people know just how and what to say, what questions to ask, how much or little to leave a person alone. They read people well, and extend the right kind of hospitality to them.
Yale Divinity school professor Siobhan Garrigan tells a story from her travels around Ireland. Arriving at a Presbyterian church in Northern Ireland, she was greeted at the door by two women, church members, who seemed to invite her into conversation. After a moment, Dr Garrigan realized that these women were ushers of some sort, whose job it was to stand at the door and interview newcomers as they arrived. They quietly asked her name and the first name of any other approaching strangers who wished to join in the morning worship.
Then Dr Garrigan figured out what was going on. Hearing the first names, the ushers would draw conclusions about the cultural and religious identity of each. Those with Protestant names were welcomed warmly and shown their seats. Those with apparently Catholic names, like Maria, or Patrick or Catherine, were told that they were surely in the wrong church and sent on their way.
Surely, that was a long time ago, we might think. But Dr Garrigan assures us it is current practice still today. Surely, we think, that happens over there, in Northern Ireland, but not here. Here—here we are welcoming, here we are hospitable. We are not like that here, are we?
In her book Amazing Grace, Kathleen Norris tells the story of the opposite side of hospitality: a nun who, although she has Alzheimer's, still asks, every day, to be rolled in her wheelchair to the door of her nursing home so she can greet every guest. Said one nun of her sister in ministry, "She is no longer certain what she is welcoming people to...but hospitality is so deeply ingrained in her that it has become her whole life" (265).
The gospel lesson invites us to ask ourselves about the quality of welcome we give and receive.
The text this morning is the tail-end of the Mission Discourse that began in chapter 9. The disciples were being sent out, all 12 of them, on a mission trip. They were given instructions by Jesus on where to go, what to pack, and what not to take. They are to proclaim the good news, and have no fear, even though their reception will not always be pleasant.
But for those who welcome the traveling disciples, it will be as if they were welcoming Jesus himself. And for those who welcome Jesus, it will be as if they were welcoming God.
The Christian church is founded on hospitality. The early church was formed out of, and took in, those who were unwanted by society, those who were cast out of their families, those who were rejected. In fourth century Egypt, a man named Pachomius was one of a group of people abducted by roving gangs to be sent down the Nile to work as salves for the Roman army. The group was imprisoned in Thebes before being deported for work. When Christians in the city learned of the prisoners’ plight, they brought them food and drink. Their generosity prompted Pachomius to ask who those people were. He was told “they were Christians, who are merciful to everyone, including strangers.” This act of unexpected hospitality led to Pachomius’ conversion to Christianity.
Theologian Gordon Lathrop reminds us that, at the center of the life of the Church and of every congregation, there stands the one who came to live among and share the table with outsiders, those not included in faith community. Whether it was with the prostitute or tax collector, the Samaritan woman at the well or the Syro-Phoenician woman who begged him to heal her daughter, Jesus insisted on opening the fellowship of the faith, drawing in those who are outside it. So it must be with the core ministries of the Church that gathers in his name
But hospitality is a two-sided coin—we are to accept it as well as extend it. We are to be open to others who give to us, as well as seeing ourselves as the hospitable ones, to know we are not the only giving ones.
We are to take whatever hospitality is offered- even just a cup of cold water—and give it and receive it—all in Christ’s name, all with the love of Christ.
And we are to do it out of gratitude—not because hospitality is easy, or fun, or even because we will get a reward. When Jesus talks about people getting a prophet’s reward for their hospitality, I’m not sure that’s entirely a good thing- after all, prophets are pretty unpopular, kicked out of their hometowns, shunned and rejected—much like Jesus himself—but we are to extend hospitality in response to God’s steadfast love, as the psalmist says. God’s chesed- but in doing so we will be blessed.
Kathleen Norris tells another story, of another nun. Kathleen had traveled all the way from South Dakota to California, to be live with members of a convent in California for a time. She was late coming into vespers. An elderly nun, seeing her there, whispered loudly, after the service had started “Who are you?” when Kathleen tried to whisper back, the nun replied: “don’t bother. I’m hard of hearing. It doesn’t matter. We’re all God’s children.”
We’re all God’s children. We all are thirsty at times, we are all in need of bread and water.
Mother Theresa said “not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” A cup of cold water- how small is that ? But it is something we can do.
The ancient fathers and mothers practiced radical hospitality. Whoever showed up, they took in. Without question: prostitutes, unwed mothers, the homeless—because they knew to welcome others was to welcome Christ. One desert father, upon seeing yet another hungry, poor traveler journeying toward the convent, looked up and said “Jesus Christ, is it you again?”
So, in this nest week, I want you to look with the eyes of faith: who gives you water? And to whom do you extend a cup of cold water—a smile—a card—a prayer? And what—and who—do you receive in return?

O Trinity of Love and Light

2011-06-28T15:57:00.002-04:00

Genesis 1:1-2, 26-27 p1

When God began creating the heavens and the earth,2the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. 26 Then God said “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have stewardship of the fish in the sea, and of the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing upon the earth. So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God, God created them; male and female God created them.

Matthew 28:16-20 p 812
16Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.17When they saw Jesus, they worshiped him; but some doubted.18And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This day, in the church calendar, is called Trinity Sunday. It is the only day in the church year that celebrates a doctrine, a theological idea or theorem. And, one I suppose, that many of us care little about. Today will come and go- and we will still have bills to pay, and sick children to take care of, and a spouse we worry about. Our loved ones will serve overseas, our physical pain will continue, the grass will still need to be mowed, the laundry need to be done. The doctrine of the Trinity—or any doctrine, for that matter, seems at best far away, something academicians talk about in ivory towers, but having very little to do with our every day lives.
And yet—and yet—the doctrine of the Trinity, the notion of a God so large, so awe inspiring, so overwhelming that one description of God is not enough, that mere language is not enough—is a notion of comfort, a way to explain- just a little- the mystery of overflowing love.
But what IS useful for us is the idea that God IS community- and that God, in God’s own self, demonstrates how to be community. And the community we are talking about is, of course, the church.
In Genesis, in the beginning--- God. When God began creating, God breathes and speaks, sees and creates. And God speaks in plural: “Let us make God in our image” God says. And this is a part of our understanding of Trinity- that God is plural, even before we have language to think about it, talk about it. At the beginning, even before the beginning, God is already community. This God of community and mystery is a relational God who loves, and in loving, chooses to create, redeem, and sustain creation, regardless of the ability of different parts of creation to respond in particular ways.
And this God loves us, and loves creation: “it is good”, God says. And this passage uses the name for God, Elohim – a plural form—in three different ways: in verse 1, Elohim is creating- out of nothing! In verse 2, the wind, or spirit or breath of Elohim is hovering, and in verse 4, Elohim is seeing and naming- that creation is good.
James Weldon Johnson was an African American poet, author and hymn writer. He wrote “Lift every voice and Sing”, which is in our hymn book. He also wrote a poem called The Creation, which begins “And God stepped out on space. Then he looked around and said—I’m lonely—I’ll make me a world.”
Now, I do not doubt Mr. Johnson’s talent or his place in history. But I disagree with him here. It is not loneliness which causes God to create—it is pure, overflowing love—the same way that the waters spill out of the pitcher and font and land on the floor every Sunday, the same way that light spills from the skies and illuminates everything in its path, the same way that having another child doesn’t mean you have less love, it just means there is more love to go around—God, the Triune God, the already community God, had so much love that God just had to share—with creation and with us.
If you have been in the Lodi historical society building, the old Lodi Methodist church, perhaps you have noticed a small stained glass window. The window is triangular in shape, in which a smaller, rounded off triangle is depicted in stained glass- and the three points of the triangle are the Latin words for Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the middle of the triangle is the word Deus- God. Linking each of the points of the triangle are the words, in Latin, for “is not” the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, etc- but all three persons are linked, like spokes on a bicycle wheel, in the middle to the word God. And all of those links have the word “is”- the Son IS God, the Holy Spirit IS God, the Father IS God. And while this is technically correct, doctrinally correct, it seems to me like a math theorem.
There are many ways, many images for God as Trinity: Water: overflowing font, living water, flowing river. Rock, Cornerstone and Temple. St Augustine used a living tree: the root is wood, the branch is wood, the trunk is wood- all are wood, all are different, all are inextricably linked in a mutual life.
But I like the image of a dancing God best.
One of the images for the Trinity is the idea of a circle dance-perichoresis, the same word that we get choreography from. And in that image, God in Three persons is dancing—intertwined, arms linked, feet moving joyously in a dance of freedom and love. When our boys were little, and Jim would finally get home from long hours at work, and a long commute on the Thruway, the boys would say jump around and yell “family hug, family hug!” And Jim and I would hug, and then boost the boys up on our arms—my image if the Trinity is something like that—that we are all linked together.
The Gospel of Matthew ends with the words of Jesus. The portion we heard this morning is called the Great Commission. And I don’t think that there were many hugs on that mountaintop that morning—maybe just grabbing onto each other in fear. This is the first time the disciples have seen Jesus, since they abandoned him, since they fled during his arrest. There are only 11 disciples mentioned, so the community has already experienced trauma and betrayal and death—and resurrection. The disciples are still shell shocked. The women had come running from the tomb, that Easter morning, and told the men what they had been told: go to Galilee, because Jesus will meet you there…the whole community, went to Galilee- about 70 or 80 miles…to wait for Jesus. What will he say to them? How much shame are they bearing, having to see Jesus again, face to face? And when the disciples see Jesus, they worship…but some doubt….literally, they are of two minds—and Jesus appears to them.
This I think, if one of the best descriptions of the church I have ever seen, the community of faith, made up of disparate people, some of whom have heard the words of the resurrected Jesus, some of whom have heard the other’s description of that event, all of whom are on a journey—of two minds- worshipping and doubting at the same time, marked by grief and death—and receiving the gracious words of Jesus, words of power and resurrection and of comfort.
Jesus is not shaming them, Jesus is not reproaching them. Jesus is giving them work to do. Jesus is giving them their marching orders- Go- Go and make disciples, baptizing and teaching. And remember, I am with you—always. Immanuel- God with us.
And as the community of faith, we can look to that moment, that God on the mountaintop, and see what kind of community the Triune God calls us to be:
We have work to do
God calls us to that work, whether we are screw-ups, or have failures in our life, for surely we do, or whether we doubt or worship or are of two minds, or any of the above- God calls us.
We are to do so without recriminations, without backbiting, with love- because that is what Jesus commands: we are to go and teach others , baptizing, making disciples of every nation, teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you- and what is that command? Love. Mutual love, upbuilding love, respectful love- the love that the Trinity, God in God’s own self, displays. Love that does not override someone else, but love in which all participants are joined- as in a circle dance—and separate and distinct, equal and equally loving, in relationship with each other and with God.
“We cannot speak of this God without recognizing that Trinity is not an optional “extra” to God, but is the very nature of God as revealed to us in Scripture. To lose the vocabulary of the Trinity is to miss out on a full understanding of who God is,” Charles Wiley writes.
Rodger Nishioka, this past week, at Montreat Youth Conference, said to over 1600 youth- “You cannot be a Christian by yourself”. We need each other. In the same way that the Three-ness of God is essential to who God is, the community-ness of the church is essential to who the church is. I have heard many times since we’ve moved up here- “you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian” and I agree, going to church does not make you a Christian, as they say, anymore than being in the garage makes you a car. But I can’t imagine how one could be a Christian without a community—because I find the work of being a Christian so hard, that I need others who are on the journey with me.
The Trinitarian God points to the relational nature of our lives. God in three persons is a relational idea- the three persons of the Trinity relate to each other in divine love. Each person of the Trinity has a distinct identity and yet all are connected and linked. Surely this means that just as love characterizes the eternal Trinity, so love should characterize our lives as a community of faith as well.

May we be shelter for each other, as we go out, making disciples, baptizing, teaching. May we reflect the Triune God in our common life together. May we be community, in the way God is community. In the name of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Plenty Good Room

2011-05-24T15:36:00.001-04:00

Psalm 31 p 439
In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
This is the word of the Lord: Thanks be to God

We’ve all done it, I think- or at least been on the receiving end –that speech, those final words, that try to imbue all the information and wisdom we want to give someone- when we’re leaving the kids for the first time alone—“don’t burn down the place, don’t let anybody in the house, here’s 5$ if you need milk from the store…” or when the children go away: “don’t drive too fast, wear your seat belt, call when you get there…” or even when we are undergoing something unknown, a biopsy or medical procedure, the nurse makes sure to walk us through: “you’ll feel a pinch, and begin to feel a little sleepy, and then the dr will come in, and the next thing you know, you’ll wake up in the recovery room. You’ll be fine.” This morning’s text from John is just that: Part of Jesus’ final words to the disciples: Listen now, for the word of the Lord
John 14:1-14 p 877
14“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.
4And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.
12Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. 13I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

This is the word of the Lord……Thanks be to God
We want to know—we want to be prepared. Jesus will soon go away, and he is trying to reassure the disciples, trying to prepare them. “Do not let your hearts be troubled…” Don’t worry, Jesus says. Really- it’ll be okay- why? Because I am going ahead of you, and I am going to prepare a place for you.
This passage is frequently used at funerals. In my Father’s house there are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?”
Trust me Jesus says. In fact the word used for believe- “believe in God, believe also in me” is really better rendered as “trust”- a trust built on a relationship.
The disciples have a relationship with Jesus. They have been with him for a while, now. This morning’s passage is set after Palm Sunday, after the foot washing, while the disciples are still sitting at the table, but after Jesus has told the disciples about his impending death. They are starting to get nervous-why is he talking like that? What can he possibly mean? What is this talk about going away?
Thomas- and here I want to call him Realistic Thomas rather than Doubting Thomas, asks a common sense question- “Lord, we do not know where you are going” Makes sense. Sensible Thomas wants a road map- where are you going, and how are we going to get there? Where Jesus is going is much less than a destination, and much more of a way of being, however. And Thomas’ words are actually- “we are not able to know where you are going”. It’s not a cognitive, fact based knowing- we are unable to know where you are going-
And Jesus has compassion for them- “I am the way” he tells them. You already know me, Jesus tells them, and in that relationship is all you need to know.
Robert Jenson says that “God is not known by us because he/GOD is amenable to the exercise of our cognitive powers. In a word made flesh, God…is disclosed in the self-giving, self-emptying love that is God’s Son.
Many scholars think the Gospel of John has post-resurrection statements interpolated into the text. That means that the faithful community went back and put in after-Easter, post-death and post-resurrection words into the gospel text. So that Jesus, in saying to his followers, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself-“ is the Jesus who has already died, and been resurrected, has already defeated death and sin, has already been raised to glory- and has, indeed, come again to take them to himself.
And where does he appear? In the midst of them, the faithful community. The word “you” in this morning’s text is always plural- you, the disciples, the “all ya’ll” you, the whole church you- not just to one of us, but to all of us, together.
Because did you hear what Jesus had to say? “In my Father’s house are many rooms….” There’s an African-American gospel song, Plenty Good Room. There is a wideness in God’s mercy, another hymn says, like the wideness of the sea. Plenty good room, says the song, plenty good room in my Father’s kingdom. We are called to have that largeness of heart, we are called to make sure there is indeed plenty good room in the kingdom.
If this message to the early church, and to us, is that in God’s house there are lots of rooms, then there must be room for all kinds of people. And there are all kinds of jokes about this: that a Presbyterian dies, and goes to heaven, and is taken on a tour by St Peter—and they pass one room, and there’s all kinds of music and singing: “Oh, those are the Baptists” says St Peter, and they pass another room, and they can hear through the door chanting and smell incense “Oh, those are the Episcopalians” says St Peter. And they go down the hall, and they pass a room, and St Peter motions for the Presbyterian to be silent. “Shh…those are the (fill in the blank denomination here) they think they’re the only ones who got in”.
So what are we to do in this roomy, capacious kingdom? Many point to this text as the text that shows just how wide God’s mercy and grace are, and point to it as a way for us to respond, with grace, to people of other faiths. If God has room in his mansion, if Jesus comes and calls other sheep that are not of this sheepfold, then how are we to think and live?
Shirley Guthrie, Presbyterian pastor and teacher, says this: If we look at non-Christians in light of God’s plan, we are permitted and required to believe that God is for them too- that God loves them, that God desires their salvation, too, that God works in their lives and in the world around them. It is not their unbelief and disobedience but the will and work of God in Jesus Christ that tells us what God’s attitude toward them is and will be. How can we Christians take non-Christians unbelief more seriously than we take what God has told us God plans and wills for them?
Rob Bell recently published a book called Love Wins. Rob Bell is a huge, huge big deal in the Emergent and Evangelical church. He is the founding pastor of Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a mega-mega church, by many people’s measure the mother ship of mega-churches, the epitome of success of what it means to be a Christian and a church. And in his book, Love Wins, Rob Bell writes that the church was doing a series of teachings on peacemaking, and having an art show, in which artists were to reflect on what it means to be a peacemaker. One of the artists chose to include a quote from Mahatma Gandhi in her work. A number of people found that quite compelling. But not everyone—someone attached a sticky note to the picture that said “Reality check: He’s in hell”.
And among Bell’s questions are: really? We have confirmation of this? Somebody knows this without a doubt?
Rob Bell is saying the same thing John Calvin and the early Westminster Confessions say: “We are to have a good hope for all”. We have that good hope because we rest in the graciousness, the wideness of God’s mercy.
Other sheep I have, that are not of this sheepfold. In my Father’s House there are many rooms, says Jesus.
But we also have Jesus’ words from this same passage- “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me.”
Karl Barth, easily one of the most famous theologians of the 20th Century, was lecturing once to a group of students at Princeton University. One student asked him a question that has probably crossed your minds: "Sir", said the student, "don't you think that God has revealed himself in other religions and not only in
Christianity?" Barth's answer stunned the crowd. With a modest thunder he answered, "No, God has not revealed himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed himself in his Son."
I am the way, Jesus said. The early Christians were not labeled “Christians”: they were called “People of the Way”. And what do we do, as people of the way? What do we do on our journey? Is heaven just a destination? Some of you may have heard that yesterday, May 21, was judgment day, according to Harold Camping. We understand that Jesus will come again—but that no one knows the hour, not the angels in heaven, not even the Son, only the Father. But we do rest in this relationship, this trust- Jesus says he has gone on ahead to prepare a place for us—and we trust him. So, as people relying on this trust, this relationship, living out this relationship, how do we live? Do we live out the Kingdom of God, right now, right here? The church is by definition the community of those who live by God’s forgiveness for guilty people. …It is the place where people can risk putting aside their defenses and masks, knowing that they will be accepted just as they are.
The truth is this: following Jesus means that we need one another in community, and that our life together is for the healing of the world. So what if this life we have in Jesus is as simple as sharing our lives and faith and serving people in our families, circle of friends, co-workers, and community.
Our life as Christians is this: the work we are called to is to help one another follow Jesus into the lives of people who are hungry and thirsty for life that is real and lasting. We offer others the same grace and love that has healed and changed our lives. Maybe, just maybe, this is how healing comes into a very broken world. And this is how Jesus intends for the Kingdom to advance.
Maybe, just maybe, that is what the church is called to be: a roomy place, a spacious place, where the wideness of God’s mercy, where the plenty good room of God is lived out for all the world to see. Amen.

I Am the Gate

2011-05-15T12:03:00.001-04:00

1 Peter 2:1-10 p. 984
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and 5like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in scripture: “See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” 7To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,” 8and “A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

John 10: 1-16 p. 872
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. 11“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

In the Gospel of John, there are many “I AM” statements by Jesus. Jesus says “I am the bread of life”, “I am the living water”, “I am the light of the world”. All of them are statements that are life giving and life affirming, and all of them use ordinary objects drawn from everyday life, to begin to enter into the mystery that is Immanuel- God with us.
One of the most familiar I AM statements is Jesus saying “I am the Good Shepherd”. We have stained glass windows, artwork, hymns, that reflect this image. Those of us who know real-life shepherds (like Andy & Mary, or Anne & John Knight) see that this makes sense, and is a beautiful illustration of God’s love for us. We see from those human shepherds what care, what diligence a shepherd takes: out in all weather, making sure the fields contain nutritious grass and water, making sure the sheep are safe, that the lambs and mothers are alright, that there are no predators menacing the flock.

After talking about being a shepherd, Jesus uses another image: “Very truly, I tell you- I am the gate for the sheep,” however, inspires no art work, no stained glass windows, no hymns. It is not, at first, a really compelling image. It is hard even to imagine that. When Jim and I recently traveled in China, we experienced lots of gates: going through customs and immigration, in lines at gardens and at tourist attractions, even going through security at the Metro. There were a lot of gates, and all of them were designed to control, to restrict, people and the flow of traffic.

So the image of Jesus as a gate might seem strange, even unpleasant to us. It may help, though, to know that in Jesus’ day shepherds sometimes actually, physically were gates for the sheep. Out in the fields, a shepherd would make an enclosure—or rocks, or of brush and briars, and then, at night, would gather the sheep into the enclosure. The shepherd would lay down in the small opening, keeping the sheep in, and the predators out—literally becoming the gate for the sheep.

But if we are talking about Jesus as the gate, then what is the sheepfold? The sheepfold, historically, has been thought of as the church—a place of safety and refuge, a place of togetherness. The sheep, cared for by the shepherd, were safe from predators, and would be healthy and thrive.

One of the ways to begin to understand this text is to understand that in the Gospel of John, there is nearly always first a sign, a miracle, and then a discourse, an explanation. In this morning’s text that Jesus performed, is way back in John 9- we heard it in Lent- the story of the man born blind. If you remember, the man was cured of his blindness by Jesus, and then the man and his family were quizzed by the Pharisees, and then the man was cast out of the synagogue. This text, about Jesus as the gate- or, in Greek, door- is about a way for those early Christians, cast out of the synagogue, kicked out of their families, to find a home, to find safety, to find abundant life in Jesus.

But, if there is a door, or a gate, then there is also a fence, right? The way that we think about gates is that they are the opening in the fence. And Jesus tells the Pharisees, and the early church this: “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” So the gate both lets in, and lets out. The gate both opens and closes, protects and sets free.

The church, the sheepfold, for many centuries, did something I find, if not abhorrent, then at least objectionable. It has to do with fencing and gates: it is commonly known as “fencing the table”. And it began, as most things do, with good intentions. Calvin, in Geneva, wanted to have the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper celebrated every Sunday. The problem, though, was that the elders were to examine all people before they came to partake of communion. Those elders had read 1 Corinthians, in which Paul writes to the church there, that “they eat and drink damnation unto themselves” if they do not take the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner. By the way, Paul was talking about the rich people in the church in Corinth hogging all the food, before the poor working people and slaves could get off from work and come to church, which was held in the afternoon.
The elders took very, very seriously, that warning, and took very seriously their charge to care for the spiritual welfare of the church. All were to examine themselves, and the elders were to examine all members of the congregation. “How is it with your soul?” the elders would ask the members. Anyone continuing in “unrepented sin” would be excluded from the table—the table was “fenced”, for the good of the members. In some times and places, even up to the early 20th century, communion tokens were given to those declared worthy by the elders—and members presenting tokens on Sunday morning could join in communion. In other times and churches—and Jim and I grew up in one—the people were to “rightly examine themselves” in prayer the week before communion—there was an exhortation to self examination and confession that is still used today. Needless to say, this much examination and self examination took time—and communion was not celebrated weekly, as John Calvin had hoped.

The church has a different understanding now of eating at the Lord’s Table, and while we do exhort you all- us all- to confess and repent of any sin, we understand that Jesus the gate, opens to us the way of abundant life and righteousness. The door opens, and we go in and out, to find pasture.

But to go back to our metaphor, if Jesus is the gate, and the church has been seen as the sheepfold, I want to ask in what ways the church has been closing the gate? In what ways have we been fencing the table, fencing off access to Jesus, who brings abundant life? With our talk, in our gossip and our words? The writer of 1 Peter says this: “Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.” Is it in our polity and life together? Or what we say after the meeting is over and we are in the parking lot?

Some of you may know, that this past year, the PCUSA has been voting, presbytery by presbytery, on changes to the Book of Order, and to the Book of Confessions, the two parts of our church’s constitution. Some of those changes are just boring, rearranging lines in the Book of Order that nobody really reads or cares about, you may think, and some of them are controversial.

Certainly the most controversial one is the one that deals with ordination standards: the wording proposed is “Standards for ordained service reflect the church’s desire to submit joyfully to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all aspects of life (G-1.0000).” What is changed is any language about chastity in singleness and fidelity in marriage for those seeking to be ordained—words that are good in and of themselves, but were most often used to bar gays and lesbians from being ordained in the church. This past week, the 87th Presbytery voted yes on this amendment, meaning that two-thirds of the presbyteries in the PCUSA approved it, and it will become part of our Book of Order at the next General Assembly in 2012. I know there are some who welcome this change, and I know there are some who are opposed to it. But what I hope—no, what I pray for, is that we do not fence each other out. That we remain Christ’s church, one flock, one shepherd, listening to his voice calling us.

In a church wide letter to congregations everywhere, the General Assembly Staff- Cindy Bolbach, moderator, Gradye Parsons, Stated Clerk, and others, write this:

Reactions to this change will span a wide spectrum. Some will rejoice, while others will weep. Those who rejoice will see the change as an action, long in coming, that makes the PC(USA) an inclusive church that recognizes and receives the gifts for ministry of all those who feel called to ordained office. Those who weep will consider this change one that compromises biblical authority and acquiesces to present culture. The feelings on both sides run deep.
However, as Presbyterians, we believe that the only way we will find God’s will for the church is by seeking it together – worshiping, praying, thinking, and serving alongside one another. We are neighbors and colleagues, friends and family. Most importantly, we are all children of God, saved and taught by Jesus Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit.

For here is an interesting thing: in the same discourse, in the same speech about being both gate and good shepherd, Jesus says this: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them in also, and they will listen to my voice.” “Other sheep I have, that are not of this sheepfold” is the old translation. If Jesus is the gate, bringing in other sheep, sheep we don’t know, sheep we don’t recognize, sheep we don’t like, sheep who are different from us, sheep that we actively disagree with, if Jesus is opening the way for them, then who are we to stand in their way, who are we to close the gate? The unity of the church on this issue rests in our one Lord Jesus Christ, and not in our agreement or unanimity. We are one because we are bound to each other in Jesus Christ. We belong to each other because Christ has called us, and we belong to him. There will be voices that, in decrying this change in our Book of Order, declare that the time has come to break fellowship with those with whom they cannot agree . Let us all listen to the voice of Jesus, and be one flock, with one shepherd. Amen.

Sermon March 27

2011-03-28T12:57:00.001-04:00

Exodus 17:1-7 p56
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?” 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” 4So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”

Last week we saw and heard the story of Nicodemus. This week we hear the story of another person’s encounter with Jesus. They could not be more different: Nicodemus is a leader, a Pharisee, a powerful man, who comes to see Jesus in the middle of the night. The woman at the well is a nobody, we don’t even know her name; she is a Samaritan, hated by the Jews, and she is out at the well in the middle of the day. An unusual time to be out, getting water. In the Middle East, water is usually collected in the morning, and again just before sunset. Not in the bright light of mid- day. But that is when the woman is out, and it is where she meets Jesus.
Now, in the Bible, when a man and a woman meet at a well, the story usually resolves in a marriage. Isaac’s future wife, Rebekkah, was identified at a well. And this well is called Jacob’s well, because it is where Jacob met Rachel. But these two, will not be getting married. In fact, Jesus quizzes the woman about her marital status—or rather tells her about her whole history. She has had five husbands, and is living with another man now, who is not her husband. This story is often told this way: that of a woman, a sinful woman, who goes to the well at the middle of the day, because of her shameful past. And her past is full of shame—but not because of her sin. In that time and place, woman had no power, and could be divorced for something as heart rending as infertility, or as small as burning dinner. So this woman has been widowed, or divorced, or some combination of the two, and is now living with a man—it is thought to be a levirate marriage, in which she lives with her brother-in-law, who has refused to marry her. She has, it seems, no male relatives to speak up and protect her. She has no rights, she is helpless in this situation and society. She is an outsider on all sides. And this woman, a nobody, a non-person, is seen by Jesus. Really seen by him.
The text tells us that Jesus was traveling, and that “he had to go through Samaria”. He was traveling from Judea to Galilee- geographically, he did not have to go through Samaria in the north. Faithful Jews did whatever they could to avoid going through Samaria. Jesus had to go there to show God’s love.
And they begin a conversation. Here is the one place this encounter is like Nicodemus’. An ordinary conversation turns into something confusing, and words mean more than they appear to mean. There is talk about water—simple enough on the outside—they are at a well, after all—but then there is talk about “living water”-which can mean flowing water, or fresh water. In the Jewish tradition, the mikvah is the cleansing waters used for purification. And the rabbis still use the same term-“living water”—today. And while the waters of the mikvah are used for purification, they also are used to prepare people when they encounter God—Orthodox men go to the mikvah to wash, every morning, before going to temple for morning prayer.
And whether the woman was prepared or not, she encountered God at the well. Jesus told the woman “all that she had done”—and everything that had been done to her. She calls him a prophet, and begins what is a theological discussion with him. Note how this is different from Nicodemus: his only question was “How can this be?” The woman engages Jesus in God talk. And then, Jesus gives her a gift, for her questioning and her newly springing faith: Jesus reveals himself to her, as the Messiah: I AM, he says to her, the words God spoke out of the burning Bush, to Moses. He reveals himself to a loser, a rejected woman, an outsider—not even a Jew. She goes back to the town, and uses the same words Jesus spoke when he called the disciples to follow him—“Come and See”—and then asks: “He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” as if she cannot believe that this is what God is like, as if her life of hurt and disappointment have warned her not to hope. But as a pledge of her new life, her new identity, and her new faith, she leaves behind the water jug at the well. She knows that life will not be the same, now that she has had this encounter.
What is not at first glance apparent to us is how Jesus broke social and cultural boundaries to minister to this woman. In the Middle East, still, men do not speak to women they do not know—they don’t even make eye contact. Ken Bailey, Professor at Pittsburgh Seminary, who grew up and then taught in the Middle East for decades, said that he never, ever, passed that line. Orthodox rabbis do not even speak to their wives in public. It is not done. By social custom, Jesus, seeing her approach the well, should have withdrawn to a respectable distance away. And for a Jew to speak to a Samaritan- well, that might be an even bigger obstacle. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews, were thought to be half-breed traitors, who did not worship God correctly, who joined worship of Yahweh with worship of Greek and local gods. They were outside of the covenant, outside of God’s care.
Last week, we talked about how in John 3:16- for God so loved the world, and the word cosmos, which in the gospel of John is the God-hating world. God loves even the Samaritans, even a woman, even an outsider, enough to go out of his way to meet her. And look what she becomes: she is the first female preacher: She goes and tells. She gives her invitation: come and see- she gives her testimony, her experience- “a man who told me everything” and then she gives her confession: “He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” Now, granted……that may not sound like the most solid, affirmative confession of faith. But look at her pattern of growth: she moves from calling Jesus first “a Jew”, then “sir”, then a prophet (and remember, last week, Nicodemus called Jesus rabbi, teacher, putting Nicodemus and Jesus on the same level) to naming Jesus as the Messiah. And we are told that “many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of the women’s testimony”.
The Israelites, traveling through the desert, asked, Is the Lord among us, or not? They were thirsty, and tired, and out in the desert. Is the Lord among us, or not? It is the same question we ask whenever we are troubled, anxious, or grieving. Is the Lord among us, or not? We ask this as people of faith, and we ask this as a community of faith, as a church. After the woman’s testimony, calling people to come and meet the Lord, Jesus stayed with the Samaritans—enemies of the Jews—enemies of God, people who did not worship God rightly, who were outside the covenant. And Jesus, God, the Messiah, stayed there with them. Is the Lord among us, or not? God in Jesus was truly among the Samaritans. At the end of today’s passage, it is the Samaritans, those hated by the Jews, the enemies of God, who confess “we know that this truly is the Savior of the world.”
The world is thirsty. One of the amazing things about thirst is this: you are dehydrated a half hour before you even begin to feel thirsty. The same is true for our souls, our hearts, ourselves, as well, I think. We are dry inside, long before we know that we are thirsty. Jesus is the living water, water that overflows, water that brings eternal and new life.
There is a group called Living Waters of the World, which works in partnership with many Presbyteries of the national Presbyterian Church. They train and develop teams that not only bring clean water technology to needed areas, but also train and empower local people to maintain and develop clean water strategies onsite. On Palm Sunday, we will receive the One Great Hour of Sharing offering, part of which goes to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance—and we heard last week that monies from that fund have already been spent to provide clean, safe drinking water in Japan. Water is vitally important—we will die without it. We, who live so close to the lake, who simply turn on our taps, who hear the falls overflowing onto the roadway, who do not have to walk miles each way to scoop out dirty and contaminated water to bring back to our children—we are far removed from that well in Samaria, and from thirsty people all over the world. But we have been given the gift of living water in Jesus Christ, just like that woman at the well.
You know that Jim and I sometimes do “wondering questions” about the Scripture with the children. This is based on work by Sonya Stewart, who I had the privilege to study with. And Dr Stewart’s understanding is that when we come to Scripture, there are often no “right” answers- we all stand before the Word of God in awe and wonder—that the encounter with God is not something to be learned, and mastered, and then filed away, but is something we wonder about, over and over, because, by the power of the Holy Spirit, it is the living Word. I believe that’s what the Samaritan woman’s life must have been like, after—wonder and awe, at her encounter with Jesus. So I’d like us to wonder a bit today, about this story.
I wonder what you are thirsty for? I wonder about living water. I wonder what we do with such a gift. I wonder who is an outsider for us? I wonder who has God come for? I wonder, as the church, the body of Christ—how is the Lord among us? I wonder who are we called to love, and to be poured out for, and who are we called to be living water for?

Sermon March 20

2011-03-28T12:52:00.001-04:00

Genesis 12:1-4 p. 8
. 12Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.

This is the Word of the Lord…….Thanks be to God

In the weeks of Lent, we will be hearing the stories of people who heard Jesus’ message, who saw Immanuel, God with us. Here is the story of Nicodemus, taken from the Gospel according to John

John 3:1-17 p. 863
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? 11“Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those that believe in Him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.
This is the word of the Lord…..Thanks be to God

It was a dark and stormy night. At least, it was dark night outside, and inside Nicodemus’ heart…..pretty stormy. For Nicodemus goes to Jesus in the night, under cover of darkness. Nicodemus has a lot to lose, if he is seen consorting with Jesus. Nicodemus is a pillar of the community: a Pharisee, meaning he is educated, revered, a kind of lawyer, an expert on the Bible. And he is a member of the Sanhedrin-the ruling party in politics. So he can’t be seen talking with Jesus. It just wouldn’t be right. It just isn’t done.
And yet—and yet, there is something there. Nicodemus is drawn to Jesus. Nicodemus has seen Jesus in the Temple. He has seen the signs performed—and in the gospel of John, signs are the miracles God gives—and signs are also evidence, pointers to who Jesus is. So Nicodemus has seen the evidence, and he is so close—he says to Jesus “no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God”. He is so close—but he just can’t bring himself to say it. Just prior to this, other people have seen Jesus in the Temple, and we are told “many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing”.

Perhaps it was also night when Abram heard God’s call. I imagine Abram, unable to sleep, looking out of his tent flap, at all of the stars of heaven. And he hears God’s voice. God calls him to give up everything—his land, his inheritance, his people—to go—where? To a land, an unnamed land, that God will show him. And, then, God tells Abram that he will be both blessed—and a blessing to others. Through you, God says, all the families of the earth will be blessed. So, Abram goes. Abram risks a lot—his whole life, in fact. And all the families of the earth, being blessed by an old, childless couple, seems to me no more astonishing than talk of being born again. The apostle Paul talks about Abraham, and says that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:3). Abram believes God, and obeys, and goes.

So after hearing about Abram, I’m a little frustrated by Nicodemus. Really—I want to say- really? You have seen the signs, you are intrigued enough to risk going to see Jesus in person, and yet….you just can’t believe. You just can’t make that jump. Jon Walton says Nicodemus is like someone buying a car, kicking the tires, even taking the car out for a spin, but just not quite ready to sign the contract. We might describe Nicodemus as “spiritual, but not religious”. What is getting in the way? I want to ask Nicodemus. How much evidence do you need? How many signs? What are you afraid of--your family? Your job? Your community? Prestige and status? Are you afraid of losing your reserved parking space near the Temple?

But then, I remember that the gospel of John is understood to have been written at a time when Christians were getting thrown out of the synagogue. The first Christians in that place were first, Jews, who had come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah. And they wanted to stay where they were, remain Jews, but also worship Christ. And the synagogue was not having any part of that. They were thrown out, cut off from family, disowned by all who knew them and loved them and could not understand just what they saw in this Jesus guy.

So in some ways, the depiction of Nicodemus is sympathetic—knowing the back story, we can perhaps understand why he comes to Jesus under cover of darkness.

But I also am a little frustrated with Jesus here. Nicodemus comes to him, and begins a conversation, begins opening up—and Jesus then answers a question that is not asked and starts talking about Spirit and flesh and wind…..in ways that make no sense at all. And he talks about being born again. Or being born from above. Or being born anew. The word means all three of those things. So it’s no wonder Nicodemus is confused. And Jesus even throws Nicodemus a bone: “No one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” So Jesus is giving Nicodemus an in—Nicodemus is already beginning to see the kingdom of God—he just—can’t quite…make himself say it. There is a story about a farmer out in Iowa, who got married. And he had a pretty little wife, a good wife…and he loved her. He loved her so much, one day he almost told her. Nicodemus is right on the cusp of believing, and saying……and he’s not quite there.
And then, after all this confusing talk about being born, and wind and Spirit and the Son of Man being lifted up, Nicodemus asks what is an entirely reasonable question: in fact, it is the same question Mary, Jesus’ mother, asked when she was confronted with the angel “how can this be?”
And Jesus turns to Nicodemus—not to shame him, but with love, and humor, and compassion: “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you don’t understand these things?” Well- here’s the deep irony—these are not things to understand, these are not things to learn and digest and memorize, like facts—the wind blows where it will, you must be born from above…..they are things to believe, things not of reason, and thinking, but things of the Spirit and the heart. And then, Jesus says this, this phrase that we all memorized, that we see on placards and posters at football games and at roadsides…..John 3:16-
A saying that is so true, and so radical, that we, like Nicodemus, can’t understand it- “God so loved the world, that He gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life.” And then the next verse, which doesn’t make it onto the posters- “For God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world—the Greek word for judge there is krisis- like crisis,--not to judge the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” Jesus always creates a crisis for those he encounters by calling from them one of two responses: either belief or unbelief. And Nicodemus was certainly having a crisis, that night.
Kosmos—is the word we know as cosmos, or world, or universe—but in Biblical speak, and especially in the gospel of John, “cosmos” is all who are against God and against Jesus Christ. The enemies of God. The unbelievers. Even—perhaps especially--the ones who threw the early Christians out of the synagogue, who cut them off, who refused to have anything to do with them.
This is how much God loves us. God sent Jesus into the world, in order that the world—the God hating world—might be saved through him. But rebellious, sinful, prideful people—us-- kept getting it wrong, rejecting God, keep choosing darkness rather than light. God tried with a most unlikely pair- Abram and Sarai, called from far away, childless, to be a blessing to all the families of the earth. And in Jesus, we see God’s great love for the whole world again. God’s astonishing love lifted up, on the cross, and then, lifted up, again, in resurrection and new life.
We do not know, really, just what Nicodemus chose. He came, and left, in darkness. But I do wonder, and hope. Later in the gospel, he gives a half-hearted defense of Jesus to the Pharisees. And he, with Joseph of Arimathea, who is described as a secret believer, brings myrrh and aloe to the tomb, to bury Jesus. Some think that Nicodemus’ bringing such an exorbitant amount of spices to bury the body- nearly 100 pounds! showed his lack of faith, his inability to look for a resurrection. But perhaps it was a gift of extravagant price, much like the woman who poured out the nard, that expensive lotion, on Jesus’ feet. Perhaps his acts of defending Jesus and bringing spices to the tomb were acts of love and devotion and apology and faith.
But whatever Nicodemus chose, God sent Jesus for him. And for us. Perhaps there are many ways of coming to believe. For isn’t that what the gospel of John says, near the very end?
John 20:30-31 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Perhaps Nicodemus was coming to believe…..was being born from above. How can this be? We want to ask. We have no “born again” moment in Nicodemus’ life, that we know of. We hear no testimony about his “moment of salvation.” And Jesus has pretty strong words to say about people who love darkness rather than light. But Jesus reminds us the Spirit of God blows where it will…..which is good news, for us who are in darkness, who are in dark and stormy nights, who are constantly in need of being born again, being born from above. Amen

sermon March 13

2011-03-13T20:39:00.003-04:00

Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 p 2
15The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.
16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
3Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’“ 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
This is the Word of the Lord…..Thanks be to God
Matthew 4:1-11 (a reading from Scripture…Listen now, to the Word of the Lord)

(script)

Jesus was out in the wilderness. Led there by the Spirit, immediately after his baptism in the Jordan River. The same Spirit who came down as a dove, while a voice from heaven said “This is my Son, the beloved…” has sent him out into the wilderness.

And now Jesus is out in the desert, and has been fasting for forty days. And he is famished. Satan, the deceiver comes to him. And with subtle words, reasonable words, begins…..”IF……iffff” If you are the Son of God”…….asking about what God has just said.

So soon? The questions and the doubt and the deceit begin so soon- “if you are the son of God”
God has just declared, loudly, and publicly, that Jesus is the Son of God, and beloved, and that God is well pleased with him. The deceiver is trying hard, with seductive words, with reasonable questions, even quoting Scripture at Jesus, to get under Jesus’ skin and raise—even just a little—a question about what God has said, to get in between—even just a little- the relationship between Christ and the Father.

Remember the snake in the garden……God has told the humans in the garden that “they may freely eat of every tree of the garden”….and the serpent begins, asking “Did God say “you shall not eat from any tree in the garden?....” No! that’s not what God said. God told the humans, the man and woman, that they may freely eat of every tree….except for one tree. The deceiver is already, so soon in paradise, asking, with subtle words, with reasonable questions, about what God had said.

This, I think, is the essence of sin—listening to a voice other than God’s. Not a list of behaviors, not a grocery list of actions you’ve done this past week that you are sorry for—argued with your sister, had unkind thoughts about your spouse, didn’t return the overpayment of change that you received in the store. No—sin is about our own, internal state—a state of turning to and listening to anything that is not God.

We have talked a lot, this year, about baptism. In baptism, we are marked by God, given our identity, claimed as Christ’s own forever. We are marked by water and by Spirit. But very soon, after our baptism, we are out in the wilderness, and the questions begin…about who we are, and whose we are. About what God has said about us. Are we really children of God? Has God really claimed us? Does God’s love extend to us—to me, even to me, we ask—or, rather, the voice of the deceiver, inside our head, does.

This is the season of Lent. We begin the season of Lent by being marked, once again. Instead of water, though, we are marked by ashes. Symbols of repentance, and grief, but also a reminder of what we are made of, a reminder of our mortality.
Lent is traditionally thought of as a time of penitence, and sacrifice. What are you giving up for Lent? we ask one another. Chocolate, we say, or facebook, or beer. Some people choose to take things on instead of giving things up: more bible reading, or a discipline of daily prayer, or making a donation to the food pantry for each of the 40 days of lent.

The word discipline reminds us of rules, and punishment, maybe even getting whacked over the knuckles with a ruler. But discipline is related to the word “disciple” that is, one who follows. The disciplines of Lent help us follow in the way of Christ. The disciplines of Lent help us tune out the voice of the deceiver, and focus on the voice of God who claims us as a beloved child.

These "sacrifices," the disciplines, are not intended as good works offered by us to God; rather, they are God's gifts to us to remind us who we are, God's beloved children, so priceless that God was willing to go to any length -- or, more appropriately, to any depth -- to tell us that we are loved, that we have value, that we have purpose.
And these disciplines are to get us back to where we started— claimed by God. They are a way to silence any voice but God’s in our hearts. Adam and Eve, listening to the snake, forgot whose they are. They forget who they are. They listened to the voice that asks whether God is trustworthy….whether what God says is true.

When we hear this story of Jesus in the wilderness, of Jesus and temptation, we often think “I want to imitate Jesus. He resisted temptations, so I will too.” Temptations are not once and done. Jesus resisted temptation, but struggled with them again, in Gethsemane, and at the cross. Our life as Christians does not eliminate doubt, or need, or a sense of incompleteness. As humans, as heirs of Adam and Eve, we will inevitably fall short in claiming our God-given identity. We will listen to voices that question our relationship with God. Yet Jesus has triumphed at the cross, committing himself, and us-- to God. Therefore, when we fall short, we confess our failings, and trust that in and through the crucified and risen Jesus we have the promise of forgiveness and new life. A life of discipleship is turning, again and again—and again—toward Jesus, who is Lord, and turning away from anything that is not God. In the baptism liturgy, we ask “Do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?” But it is a daily turning, sometimes a moment by moment turning. Eugene Peterson, author of The Message, calls it “a long obedience in the same direction”. And we are strengthened for this turning away from, and turning to Christ, by disciplines—or prayer, of fasting, of repentance, of intentional acts of love and mercy.

In the wilderness, Jesus triumphed. He did not forget who he was or whose he was. He did not listen to that voice—reasonable and seductive—that called to him. In our wilderness, whatever that looks like, we are still God’s. Marked by God in water and Spirit. Made out of dust. But joined to Christ forever. Because Christ has triumphed, we are given strength to turn to God. Again and again. Amen.

note: quotes by David Lose, www.workingpreacher.org

sermon

2011-03-13T20:39:00.001-04:00

sermon march 6

2011-03-13T20:37:00.001-04:00

Exodus 24:12-18 p61/92 childrens’ bible
12The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain, and wait there; and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and the commandment, which I have written for their instruction.” 13So Moses set out with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God. 14To the elders Moses had said, “Wait here for us, until we come to you again; for Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a dispute may go to them.” 15Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. 16The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the cloud. 17Now the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. 18Moses entered the cloud, and went up on the mountain. Moses was on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. This is the word of the Lord….thanks be to God

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. It is a weird sort of Sunday. We rarely—if ever—use the word “transfiguration” in regular conversation, and this day appears at the tail end of Epiphany and just before Lent. On this day we hear the story about Jesus up on the mountain, and the cloud of glory, and the people who show up there. A strange story, that, frankly, we don’t really know what to do with.

But that’s the way it seems when God shows up. We don’t have words, we don’t have ideas, we babble foolishly like Peter. We say things like “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I heard Gods voice, plain as day, when I was driving home the other night” or “I’ve never told anyone this, but when I was out on the water, I had something like a dream” or we say “The Lord has put this on my heart, and I don’t know why….”, or we say things like “I don’t know why, I just keeping thinking about this” but what we really mean is we are beginning to see what the Lord God is calling us to do…….

Listen, now, for the transfiguring word of the Lord……

Matthew 17:1-9 p. 798/1132
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

This story appears every year in our cycle of readings, and in the Gospel of Matthew, it is decidedly strange—or at least, otherworldly. For the Gospel according to Matthew is concerned, a lot, about behavior. How are we to behave, as the people of God? What does a life of gratitude and obedience look like? And yet, in this passage, we don’t really see any behavioral guidelines. We see Peter proposing to go camping, apparently, with Jesus and Elijah and Moses, of all people, and then we see the disciples falling down in fear, and then Jesus, walking down the mountain with the disciples, telling them not to say anything to anyone—as if they could! As if they could find words to explain what had happened there, on top of Old Smoky—“Tell no one about the vision until after—after—the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” So now they have not only the burden of not telling what happened, but also in wondering and worrying about what that could possibly mean—AFTER the Son of Man is raised from the dead.
In a little while, we will receive the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper—communion. We will be joined to Christ, who is the one who calls us to this table. We will be here, in our pews, eating bread and drinking grape juice that was made by people we know and love. Many of us, perhaps, envy Peter and the disciples: At least, I do. I think: Oh, if only I could have been on that mountaintop that day! Oh, if only God would speak so clearly to me! And nearly all of us have heard someone’s testimony, that they saw the face of God, or that they had a miraculous experience of the divine—while hiking, or on the water, or at camp. And those of us who don’t have that, who are not sure we have ever had that, feel left out and little lonely. John Calvin wrote, however, that in the Lord’s Supper, by the power and the grace of the Holy Spirit, we are lifted up—to the very presence of Jesus, that we are joined to Christ--that in this feast we experience a foretaste of the banquet in the Kingdom of God. Here. In our ordinary lives, in our ordinary pews.
Remember, earlier in Matthew, Jesus has told the crowds “the kingdom of heaven has come near…” On that mountaintop, the kingdom of heaven had come near—in fire and cloud, in glory and voice.….and it nearly knocked over Peter and John and James with fright. It was Jesus who reassured them, Jesus who put his hand on them, Jesus who said to them “Be raised up and do not fear”. When all is over -- when Moses and Elijah are gone, the voice is quiet, Jesus' face and clothing have returned to normal, and the disciples are left in holy awe -- all that is left is Jesus. Whatever all these signs and symbols may have meant, the disciples are once again with their Lord, their teacher, their friend. Jesus, the one whose clothes and face shone like the sun, the one equal to Moses and Elijah, the one whom the very heavens proclaim as God's own beloved Son, will not leave them. He is the one who accompanies them down the mountain, into the valleys and storms and potholes and daily life.
In the Exodus story, Moses is commanded “to go up”. In the Transfiguration story, we are told, Jesus “led them up”, that is, Peter and James and John. But what is striking is that in each story, the word used is related to offering up a sacrifice. In the communion prayer, we say “we offer our very selves to you, to be a living and holy sacrifice….” We are offering up who we are, and all that we are—and are not. Perhaps this is what transfiguring means. Perhaps this is what listening to the voice of God means: that we see ourselves, our lives, in a new way- a way of offering to God our very own ordinary selves.
The Apostle Paul says, "All of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:18).
God comes to us here, in ordinary things- in water, and in prayer that is breath. In community, together. In bread, and grape juice, at a table set by human hands, but a table at which God in Christ comes, and lifts us up, and feeds us. We are being transformed. So we offer ourselves up, and are lifted up.
Amen.

Don't Worry, Be Thankful!

2011-03-09T22:22:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 49:8-16a
8 Thus says the LORD:
In a time of favor I have answered you,
on a day of salvation I have helped you;
I have kept you and given you
as a covenant to the people,
to establish the land,
to apportion the desolate heritages;
9 saying to the prisoners, “Come out,”
to those who are in darkness, “Show yourselves.”
They shall feed along the ways,
on all the bare heights shall be their pasture;
10 they shall not hunger or thirst,
neither scorching wind nor sun shall strike them down,
for he who has pity on them will lead them,
and by springs of water will guide them.
11 And I will turn all my mountains into a road,
and my highways shall be raised up.
12 Lo, these shall come from far away,
and lo, these from the north and from the west,
and these from the land of Syene.

13 Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the LORD has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his suffering ones.

14 But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or show no compassion for the child of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;

Matthew 6:24-34
24“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34”So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

*********

I guess I’m a failure.

I worry. I worry about our older son who graduates in May. I worry about our younger son who’s trying to find a teaching job. I worry about the sermon each week. I worry about our church in the winter months when so many are away or unable to get out of the house.

Frankly, there are plenty of things to worry about. We worry about the economy. We worry whether our job is secure. Or we worry if we’re ever going to find a job. We worry about paying the bills. We worry as we watch prices go up, including the price of gas. We worry about our child struggling in school or hoping to get into college. We worry about a loved one who was diagnosed with cancer. We worry we will never be able to retire.

And the world feeds our worry. Our flight to and from New Jersey for study leave was a constant reminder of reasons to worry between regular announcements and passing through security checkpoints. The daily news bombards us with images of troubles from around the world, and here at home. Commercials invite us to worry about one more thing (usually about ourselves). They, of course, have the solution to our worries.

Nancy & I have a friend who works part-time at a retail clothing store. Recently all of the store’s employees were pulled into a meeting and told to convince customers they need to buy more, especially more expensive items. Yes, spending money is how to stimulate the economy. But he found that pep talk hard to swallow when he saw people with signs asking for food and money on the way home from work.

Yes, there are lots to worry about. And much of it is legitimate. We care about our families, our friends, our health, our future. So to hear Jesus say, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or … what you will wear,” well…

I’m annoyed. Jesus’ words just seem so unrealistic. I’d like to think life in the first century wasn’t so complicated, that they had less to worry about. But the truth is they had plenty to worry about. Just different things like disease, poverty, wars. I wonder how many of Jesus’ disciples rolled their eyes when they heard him say “Do not worry…?”

I’m also a little ashamed. We’ve all met people who have shared their stories of how God provided when they were down to their last dollar. And I suspect most of us can recall our own experiences of receiving God’s timely blessing. Nancy & I took a big risk leaving our jobs, following a call into ministry, and God has led us happily to this place. Why then is it so hard to worry less and trust God more day after day?

Perhaps, the reason is we hear conflicting messages. There’s Jesus’ message of trusting God to provide and there’s the world’s message of trusting what you can accumulate for yourself. Which message will we follow? That’s basically Jesus’ opening statement. “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and wealth.”

Despite what you may have heard in the past, Jesus isn’t saying money is evil or bad. It’s a question of where we put our trust, our allegiance, and money turns out to be a poor Lord and master. Once we believe that money can satisfy our deepest needs, we discover that we never have enough. Money, after all, is finite. And so once we decide money grants security, then we find ourselves in a world of counting, and tracking, and hoarding. It’s a world based on scarcity. No wonder we worry – because in that world, there is simply never enough.

The alternative Jesus invites us to consider is putting out trust, our allegiance in God. The God who is infinite, whose love for us and all creation is infinite as well. Love operates from a different "economy" than money. Love – God's love – cannot be counted, tracked or stockpiled. And when you live in this kind of relationship of love and trust, you've entered into a world of abundance, a world of possibility, a world of contentment. In this world, which Jesus calls the "kingdom of God," not worrying becomes a real choice. We can choose to act in ways that witness to this world. Instead of images of scarcity, worry, and fear, we can choose to reflect abundance, trust, and courage. (1)

Many of you look out for our elderly neighbors, and bring them Thursdays to our Office for the Aging luncheon. Think also about being a mentor to one of our youth. Bring items for our food pantry next week when we celebrate communion. That was one of the early practices in the church. Instead of one person supplying bread and juice, everyone brought a portion of what they had, some of their harvest, some of their food, to the table. A portion was used for communion. The rest was given after the service to the poor in the community. These are ways we can be salt and light to the world, helping others to relax, to breathe, to count their blessings, and to trust in God's providence.

This is the world Jesus invites us into: a world of abundance, generosity, and new life. But it is also a world of fragility, trust, and vulnerability. The birds of the air and the lilies of the field can't defend themselves. They must trust God's providence and love.

Worry is a part of life. Even Jesus says, “Today’s trouble is enough for today.” What isn't a part of life is to believe it's all up to me or us, that I or we are in control. Do we want to live in a world in which God is in control or we are? Frankly, the latter scares me, exhausts me, and drains the life out of me. Jesus invites us to let it go, redirect your energies in ways that are life-giving, life-affirming.

Nancy used to attend a Thanksgiving eve service when we lived in Florida, and every year the text was this one: “take no thought to what ye shall eat, or what ye shall wear…” and I thought, “Who are they kidding! Every person in this church is sitting here thinking about tomorrow’s meal. Do I have enough mashed potatoes for everyone? What if Johnny brings his girlfriend? What if the cousins actually do show up? Is there a way to portion out the turkey so that everybody will get some?” Our heads were spinning with worry. But now I see that this text is indeed perfect for Thanksgiving eve- because it is about thanksgiving—because it reminds us that God is in charge, and not we, and that is something to be thankful for. Instead of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” perhaps our live should witness to and sing out “Don’t worry, be thankful.”

*********
(1) David Lose from “Picture This” on workingpreacher.org

Hope in God

2011-03-09T21:31:00.002-05:00

Law and Order - IGK

2011-03-09T17:11:00.001-05:00

Law and Order – IGK. Dunk-dunk. Law and Order – in God's Kingdom. Coming to a congregation near you. Roll theme song. Two weeks ago we began the Sermon on the Mount. It's the first of five teaching sections in Matthew's gospel. Probably the most well-known section. And the most quoted. It's also very challenging.

For three chapters, Jesus provides instruction for his disciples; rules for how to live in God's kingdom. And let's face it - we have a love/hate relationship with rules. They seem good especially when applied to others to ensure life is fair. When executives make huge bonuses even though their companies lose money and lay people off, we cry, "There oughta be a law…" Yet, most of us expend a great deal of energy figuring out how to get around rules when applied to ourselves, especially when they seem to get in the way and make no sense. Rules are made to be broken, right?

Back when I was in junior high school, I got interested in golf. I received a starter set of clubs for Xmas and then bought a book explaining the rules of golf. I still remember the looks I got the first time I went golfing with some adults and pulled out the book which I had stashed in my bag. C'mon, I was only 12 at the time. We generally try to follow the rules, but we don't like to be reminded of them.

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that the Sermon on the Mount begins not with rules, but the Beatitudes. Good news that we are already beloved and blessed by God, and a blessing to others. And immediately following is a statement of our identity as salt and light. Good news that we aren't defined by what we do. Rather, we live out what we already are. And we are already bringing flavor to life, making the world a little brighter.

Only after we've heard this good news do we hear what law and order looks like in this kingdom. Jesus summarizes all that follows with this statement: "Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." The scribes and Pharisees were known for their attention to the details of the law. How is it possible to exceed their efforts?

Jesus gives six examples and in doing so makes sure that each of us hears something we can connect with even if we don't want to hear it. We will hear three of those examples this week, and the other three next week. So here goes: Matthew 5:21-32, found on page 786 in the pew bibles. Listen for the word of God.

Matthew 5:21-32
21“You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ 22But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire. 23So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. 26Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
27“You have heard that it was said, ‘you shall not commit adultery.’ 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
31“It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ 32But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Thanks be to God, I think. What do we do with these laws? We all grew up learning the Ten Commandments though we might be hard-pressed to name them all let alone in order. And we can go to bed each night and check them off. Nope, didn't commit murder today. Nope, didn't commit adultery. And on and on down the list. But now Jesus is broadening the law. Even worse, it's not just what we do, but what we're thinking inside that matters.

Perhaps we've known someone who would do anything including put down their co-worker just to get ahead. Don't we call that stabbing someone in the back? Perhaps we've known someone who was so dedicated to their job, put in so many hours at work they had little time or energy for their family, their spouse. Don't we call them married to their work?

Now it's harder to go down the checklist of commandments. Unless we're not human beings, all of us have experienced anger in our lives. What do we say to Jesus' instruction about divorce when half of all marriages fail in this country? And who can forget the infamous Playboy interview with Jimmy Carter who admitted to committing adultery in his heart?

So what do we do with these laws? Is Jesus urging us to take the law more seriously than we could imagine? Frankly this has been one approach taken by some in the church: the law as restraint that turns the Christian life into one of following the rules. It begs the question: "Did Jesus really have to die so that we could have the Ten Commandments on steroids?"

Others have said Jesus is reminding us that God's expectations for us are so great, the bar so high. The new law then convicts us of our failings, our sin. This forces us to turn to God’s grace alone to save us. But this makes the law seem unnecessary since we have no chance of following it. It also makes God seem rather conniving, not loving.

I don't think Jesus' main concern is with the law, at least not the legal aspect of law. Following the law, doing the right thing, staying inside the lines isn’t the goal in life. The law is the means to something more important – healthy, loving relationships with one another and ultimately with God.

Now there is a legal dimension to the law – it’s what holds us accountable for our actions toward one other. But that’s a by-product of the law, not its essential character. God has given us the law as a guide for honoring, respecting, and caring for each other. Sure, we can get all legalistic, but before long we’ll all be accusing and suing and punishing one another. Where will that leave our relationships, our community, our world? As Mahatma Gandhi said, “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”(1)

Jesus wants more for us. He wants us to regard each other as God regards us and to treat each other accordingly. It’s less about following the letter of the law as understanding its goal for us: the life and health of our neighbor! That’s what law and order in God’s Kingdom is like. That’s what life is like, what real living is like, in God’s Kingdom.

This morning we heard Jesus offer three examples of this kingdom living. In the first, the problem is not so much our anger, but how we come to terms with it. Jesus’ answer is to seek reconciliation, even if you believe you have been wronged. This is not advice to become a doormat. Reconciliation is about mutual respect. But someone needs to take the first step.

In the other examples about adultery and divorce, the underlying issue is the treatment of women. In both cases, the woman is viewed as an object either to be desired or discarded. This doesn’t mean there won’t be instances when divorce is best because the marriage is destructive or abusive to one or both partners. But Jesus calls for relationships in marriage that build up, where the partners respect and love each other.

Jesus gives the disciples a new way of life, not rejecting the tradition, but building upon it. It is a way of life that demands more and promises more. Yes, it sounds idealistic, out of touch with the real world. But what kind of community would you like to live in? Perhaps we need to consider how we can create rules that truly work to honor our neighbor. Perhaps we should consider how the Kingdom of God can be more fully embodied in our homes, our congregation, our community. Of course, we may wonder how we can possibly accomplish all this ourselves.

At Lodi, they will be celebrating a baptism this morning. One of the questions we ask the parents is, “Will you be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love?” Their answer is, “I will, with God’s help.” And that is Christ’s answer to us as well. “You, who are salt and light, you will with God’s help.”

(1) David Lose from workingpreacher.org, “Radical”

The Gospel According to Alton Brown

2011-03-09T16:49:00.002-05:00

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)
1 Shout out, do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
4 Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

Matthew 5:13-20
13“You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
17“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

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They’ve become Emeril Lagasse’s signature phrases. “Let’s kick it up a notch!” And the audience goes wild. Then “Bam!” as he throws some Cajun spices into the pan. For our food and our coffee, the word of the day is “Bold!” Bold flavors. Watch any cooking show from Worst Cooks in America to Iron Chef to Bobby Flay to Alton Brown. One of the keys to great food is proper seasoning. And the key seasoning is salt.

Now I know we hear regularly in the media how Americans have too much sodium in their diet, and that it’s a major contributor to high blood pressure. And I’m one of those who have to worry. But the reality of life is that we need salt in our diet to survive (we just don’t need quite as much as we consume).

Salt has been an important spice for millennia not only for its ability to preserve food, but to season it as well. Of course, today there’s no longer just simple table salt; now we have sea salt, and kosher salt, and even Himalayan salt blocks. But in the end it’s all about salt’s ability to enhance other flavors. Take out the salt and, frankly, food is just bland and unappetizing.

You are the salt of the earth! Yes, you. Just like we heard with the Beatitudes last week, this is a description, not instruction, not command. You already are the salt of the earth, salt that seasons life. So what does it mean to be salt, to give flavor to life? In his book, “I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church,” author Paul Nixon writes that vital churches are ones that choose bold over mild. Would you call our worship bold? Do we give bold flavor to the community here in Hector/Lodi? How does one even know?

You are the light of the world. Well, maybe that’s a little easier to relate to than salt. Light in the darkness is a symbol of hope. With so much uncertainty and suffering and struggle and death in the news every day what is needed most is hope. As followers of Christ we are called to be light for a world in need of good news. How do we embody light for the world, or even salt for the earth? According to Jesus, it’s through the mercy we show, the love we share, the justice we do.

The interesting thing about salt and light is you don’t need much. Just a pinch of salt brings out the flavor in foods. Even one candle does much to dispel the darkness. We don’t need to act heroically in the presence of a crazed shooter, or to protest against the government for human rights. It’s the little things God works through each of us to help another person. Even if we feel our efforts are minor or our congregation is too small to do much, we are capable of more than we can imagine through God’s Spirit.

Last Thursday we had a little excitement at the Office for the Aging luncheon here in fellowship hall. One woman wasn’t feeling well at the end of the meal. Others in the room went over to help, saw her symptoms and called 911. Folks stayed with the woman even though they had places to go, things to do. Within a few minutes the volunteer ambulance crew came. They assessed the situation and then expertly convinced the woman to let them take her to the hospital. As it turns out there was nothing seriously wrong, but the hospital was concerned enough to keep her overnight. Several of you freely gave of your time to help someone in need. I know you think that’s just what we do here and have been doing for a long time. Sometimes, though, we need to be reminded: this is how we are a light in the world.

This also points to another truth about salt and light – their benefit is not for themselves but for what is around them. Salt gives flavor to foods. We use it not so much for the taste of salt, but for the way it brings out the flavor of whatever you put it on. Put a little on something sweet and it doesn’t turn it salty; it actually makes the food even sweeter tasting. We light a candle not for the candle itself, but for the way the light drives back the dark and illumines everything in the room.

Our works are not for ourselves, or to make us look good. They are to help others and point people to God. Archbishop William Temple said, "The church is the only organization on earth that exists for those who are not its members." Before we read from Matthew, we heard God speaking through the prophet Isaiah. What is the best expression of faith? It’s not to go through the motions, which at that time was to fast. No, it’s to share bread with the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless, clothe the naked.

We have a couple in our church who have suggested renting a trailer and setting up a thrift store in our parking lot selling used clothing. It’s ambitious, involves some logistical challenges, and will take some volunteer time to sort through the donations, but we know there is need in our community. We see it every month at our food pantry, and twice a year when the mobile food truck comes.

When Jesus talks about salt and light, he offers a warning, possibly even a threat. If salt loses its saltiness, then it’s only fit to be tossed out and trampled underfoot. Of course, with the snow and ice we’ve had that salt would still doing something useful. But I suppose you could interpret Jesus to mean we are to take seriously our call to mission. But I struggle with how salt can lose its saltiness. Salt is a pretty stable compound, and about the only way to change that is to electro-chemically split the sodium from the chloride. Perhaps what is being described is an absurdity. Like lighting a candle and putting it under a bushel. Not only will it not serve any purpose, but it’s liable to go out or set the bushel on fire!

Salt can’t be anything but salty. A light illumines. We who follow Christ can’t lose our character as salt and light for the world, because that’s who God has created us, gifted us, and called us to be. "You are the salt of the earth! You are the light of the world. That's the way it is and that's the way it will stay. Period."(1) We can’t not be salt and light.

So now I have an assignment for you for the week. I want you to record examples of where God has worked through you to help someone else. Write it down on paper, type it into your computer. Then I would like to encourage you to send it to Pastor Nancy or myself so we can start a Salt & Light Log. Start talking about it during the coffee hour. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to God.”

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(1) David Lose from workingpreacher.org, “Salt & Light” as is the idea of a Salt & Light log.

Sermon Jan 30

2011-02-01T11:01:00.001-05:00

Micah 6:1-8 p 757
6Hear what the LORD says: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice. 2Hear, you mountains, the controversy of the LORD, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a controversy with his people, and he will contend with Israel. 3“O my people, what have I done to you? In what have I wearied you? Answer me! 4For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 5O my people, remember now what King Balak of Moab devised, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the saving acts of the LORD.”
6“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? This is the word…..
Matthew 5:1-12 p 785
5When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. This is the word….

In 1985, Robert Schuller authored a book based on today’s text. Dr Schuller titled it “The Be-Happy Attitudes”. And that is a reasonable translation—and a catchy title. For the word we read as “blessed” can also mean happy, or fortunate. And Schuller was indeed fortunate. He grew a church in Garden Grove, California, into the first of its kind- a mega-church- which we know as the Crystal Cathedral. He influenced and comforted thousands of people with his church, his preaching and his television ministry.
When Jesus went up on the mountain, it was after a time of teaching and preaching and healing. Although I don’t believe his preaching was on tv.
A few weeks ago, we heard Jesus say: “Come and See”. Apparently, the people liked what they saw—and told their families—and their friends—and their friends—to the point that crowds from all over- from Israel and Samaria and Syria--are following Jesus.
Jesus is up on the mountain top. Like Moses. But this time, no thunder, no lightning, no clouds.
No, Jesus is sitting down on the mountain top, talking with the disciples and the crowds- but what he says is easily as earth shattering as any storm of thunder and lightning.
Because what Jesus is doing is setting the whole world upside down.
Jesus sees the crowds, and goes up to the mountain top to teach. And he begins teaching them in a way that is familiar to them. Traditional Middle Eastern instruction uses proverbs to teach an idea. In the Middle East, and in our own Bible, the Wisdom tradition is represented in proverbs—we have in our bible the book of Proverbs.
And this tradition teaches that if you behave in a certain way, then you will receive certain things. We teach our own children this way. It makes sense to us. Modern proverbs might be “blessed is the one who checks the air in his tires, for his journey will be a pleasant one,” or, “Blessed is the one who does not text while driving, for his insurance shall remain low.”
Wisdom tradition, as shown in those traditional proverbs, has it that you can deduce a lot about a person by his or her condition in the world. If you are rich, have a lot of healthy children, have a spouse who loves you, then God must be smiling on you—and God is smiling on you because you have lived a righteous life. And if you are poor, or ill, or alone, then God is not smiling on you, and it is because you have done wrong. You have sinned. You have not been righteous, and things will not get better until you repent, stop your sinning, and change your ways. And the way that we can tell that you are a sinner is because we can see your condition.
Jesus turns all this upside down. Jesus says to the people who are following him, and to us: You are blessed. You already are blessed, God already loves you. Even when your life doesn’t show it, even when it doesn’t feel like it. Jesus takes apart that cause and effect logic that we like so well. We like that logic because it makes sense—run with scissors, somebody’s going to get hurt. Jump on the couch, you’re gonna fall down. That’s the way the world is.
In our world, Jesus’ wisdom words don’t make sense. The meek don’t inherit much of anything- they just get stepped on. Those who long for justice & righteousness keep on being hungry and thirsty. In this world, the merciful most often get kicked in the teeth. How can you be glad when people revile you, and testify falsely against you? That’s a libel lawsuit, not something to be happy about.
But as Christians, we are used to having the world turned upside down—or at least I hope we are. Because we are a people who stand at a funeral and sing “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” We are a people who hold a little baby in church, and 2,000 years after the event, we say “Christ has died for you, little one, yes, you who have no knowledge of it yet”. We don’t believe six impossible things before breakfast, as the Queen says in Alice in Wonderland. But we do believe that an impoverished, unemployed preacher, a crucified savior, an absolute failure in the eyes of the world, is the One who lives and rules and makes all things new.
And what Jesus tells the crowd, is that even when you do walk in God’s ways, your life will not be a walk in the park. His blessing, Jesus’ be-happy attitude, is not always happy. This sermon serves as both blessing and warning. When Jesus said “Come and see”, when he said “Come and follow me and I will make you fish for people”—well, this is the fine print at the end of the contract. This is the disclaimer: warning: life in the kingdom of heaven will not always be happy. This is not the Kingdom of Disney. It is the kingdom of God.
The people who are coming to see Jesus that day are have traveled a long way to hear him and are suffering for it. The disciples have left their nets, and their families, and are here on a hillside. The people in the gospel writer Matthew’s community are being punished for their following of Jesus. They are getting thrown out of their synagogues, their families. People are saying things about them, refusing to do business with them. They are suffering—being persecuted, being rejected. All for following Christ.
This is something we have a hard time understanding. We live in America. We do not have to hide, it is not against the law, we do not have to register at the courthouse. Christians in Iraq are persecuted. It is illegal to be a Christian in Egypt. In India, the growing edge of Christianity is among the dalits- the untouchables—they were persecuted and oppressed, so a religion based on a suffering Savior makes sense to them.
Jesus words on the mount that day are a warning: you will mourn, you will be reviled and rejected. But they also are a promise: you are blessed, right now—and you will be fed, you will be filled, you will be comforted, you will inherit.
When I worked as a chaplain in a hospital in Atlanta, I served not only the patients and their families, but also the staff as well. If I was on-call on Sunday, I led a worship service for whatever staff could come. Most often, it was the techs, the nurse’s aides, the cleaning ladies. They would give up their lunch time to be able to come to chapel. And when I would see them in the hall, I would ask them “How are you doing?” and I would hear this: “I’m too blessed to be a mess.” And there were times I would be shocked- because in chapel that morning, I had heard their stories- a son in jail, a car being repossessed, loss of custody of a child, a bad diagnosis. And yet these people, on the lowest end of the hospital totem pole, would be the ones testifying, witnessing to the blessings they were receiving. Because they knew the truth- the truth of the Beatitudes—which is that you are not solely what your life looks like, one cannot determine how righteous you are, how right with God you are, just by looking at your bank account, or your life situation. That is good news.
The Beatitudes are an assurance and a promise. And they are also something else. They are about behavior, but this is not a list of nine things to be or do in order to fit into God’s world. Instead Jesus is showing us how life is different in God’s world. Remember, Jesus has said “the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And in this near kingdom, how we live matters. Because we matter --to God. And this is good news.
Just like we heard in Micah- do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with our God—this is what life in the kingdom looks like, behaves like. The coming of the kingdom of heaven and the doing of the heavenly will are inseparable. As ones who are blessed, not for what we do, but for who we are, beloved children, we are to act out of that blessedness.
Because what is here, the Beatitudes, is not all that Jesus has to say, up on that mountain. The Sermon goes on. In the coming weeks, we will hear them. There are some hard sayings: love your enemy. Turn the other cheek. Those are hard words. But they are to give the people gathered on that mountain—and us—comfort and assurance and hope. The blessing enables us to go forward to live as we are called to live.

Show and Tell

2011-01-17T15:21:00.001-05:00

Psalm 40:1-11 p446
1I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
4Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
5You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.
6Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
7Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
9I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
10I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
11Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever. This is the Word of the Lord…..
John 1:29-42 p. 862
29The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ 31I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” 35The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!”
37The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” 39He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o”clock in the afternoon. 40One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).

In the aftermath of the unspeakable tragedy that occurred last week in Tucson, we are at first, stunned. Silent. We have no words to express our grief and outrage at yet another tragedy, yet another horrific shooting, at so many lives lost. But soon, and in this time of instant media, practically immediately, the finger pointing began. Fingers pointing at the gun lobby, or the store that sold a 31 bullet clip of ammunition just hours before the shooting, or at the laws that allowed that. Fingers pointing at Jared Loughner’s parents, at hateful political rhetoric, at a society that doesn’t deal well—or at all, really, with mental illness, at policy that says police can’t intervene until after someone gets hurt…..fingers pointing everywhere.

This morning’s text seems far away from that tragedy. There is finger pointing in here as well. But it is a different kind of finger pointing. John the Baptist sees Jesus walking by, and points. But John doesn’t only point. He proclaims: “Here is the Lamb of God”. John does two things-- pointing- and telling-“I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God”
We need to do both. Pointing to Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Pointing to him with our lives. Pointing to him in the way we spend our money, the way we treat each other and our world, the way we make peace on this earth. Pointing our fingers not in blame, or anger, but in showing: “Look!”

And we need to tell about him. John testifies—that is witnesses—to what he sees and knows. John tells what he saw: the Spirit, descending and remaining with Jesus. And John tells also what he did not know: John freely confesses his journey: “I myself did not know him…but now I do”. John says that Jesus is the Lamb of God. And look at what the text says that Jesus does: he says “Come and See”. That’s all. No big fuss. No “where will you spend eternity?” No “Four Spiritual Truths”. No “you’re not one of us,” no vitriolic name-calling or mud slinging. Just—Come and See.

The writer of Psalm 40 has experienced trouble and despair. And yet, her song is one of testimony. “God drew me up out of the desolate pit….God put a new song in my mouth.” And then this: “I have told the glad news of deliverance….I have not restrained my lips...I have spoken of your faithfulness”
The response of gratitude is always testifying, always witnessing to the goodness of God.
In the movie, Witness, a little boy, Samuel, witnesses a murder in a bathroom in Grand Central Station in New York City. The police detective, played by Harrison Ford, interviews Samuel, who is Amish. While at the police station, the boy looks at a cabinet full of awards and photos and baseball trophies. He sees a newspaper clipping with a picture of the killer—and points his finger. Ford, noticing the boy, and fearing for his life, since the man boy is pointing to, the killer, is another police detective, runs over, and folds the little boy’s finger back into his hand. It is a chilling moment. The two look at each other, knowing what this means, knowing what they see. They see the truth at that moment. Like John the Baptist standing near the water, they know now what they did not know before.

Come and see. While this is never expressed out loud in the movie, this is just what Harrison Ford’s character does. He goes to the Amish country, where the boy and his family live. Ford sees their life, and their witness of peace and non-violence and community. The little boy is fascinated, fascinated, with the guns he has seen. He wants to use one. His grandfather speaks to him about it. “I would only kill a bad man” the boy says. “And you know these bad men by sight?” the grandfather asks him. “You are able to look into their hearts?”

Jesus says to the disciples “What are you looking for?” and tells them “Come and See.”
And they do—and they call their brothers, and later, others, to come and see. And they stay with Jesus. Our translation misses it—the word “remain”, which appears a number of times in this text, is “abide, stay, dwell”, and is related to the word for tabernacle—the word for when God traveled with the people of Israel through the wilderness, camping with them in the desert. A kind of “sticking with,” a traveling together.

This mutual abiding, this mutual staying with, dwelling, is the work of the Holy Spirit. And it is the life we are called to. It is the life we call others to—Come and See, we tell them. Come and abide in this peace. The writer Madeleine L’Engle says it this way: “We do not draw people to Christ by loudly discrediting what they believe, by telling them how wrong they are and how right we are, but by showing them a light that is so lovely that they want with all their hearts to know the source of it.”
When John points his finger, he says “Look, the Lamb of God”. This was a reference to the Passover lamb, whose blood was spread across the door posts, to save the people of Israel. It is also a reference to the sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem, in which a lamb was ritually slaughtered every morning and every afternoon. Not a charming or attractive description of Jesus, the Anointed One.

But we who have studied Revelation this past year know the end of the story—or at least, a little more of the story. For in Revelation, it is the Lamb who was slain, who triumphs over sin and death. It is the Lamb, slaughtered but standing, that gives us life. It is the Lamb of God who has suffered violence, who is the Prince of Peace.

This week has been filled with death, it seems—multiple deaths in Tucson, tragedy in the life of a young man, a beloved friend who is gone too soon, finally at rest after a battle with cancer. But we know the One who is the Lamb of God. And we abide with him, and He in us. He is the One we call others to Come and See. Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Amen.

Sermon Jan 9 2011

2011-01-10T14:04:00.001-05:00

Isaiah 42:1-9 p 584
42Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Matthew 3:13-17 p 784
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
This is the word of the Lord…..thanks be to God

The story of Jesus’ baptism is a very short narrative—only 4 verses—but it is packed full.
Matthew has John the Baptist ask a question that we want to ask: why does Jesus get baptized? Jesus is sinless, and John is preaching a baptism for forgiveness of sin—so what is Jesus doing out there in the middle of the Jordan?
Jesus comes out to meet John, to be baptized. John didn’t want to do it, but Jesus commands him, saying “permit it. It is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness”.
And there is the first thing I want us to notice: “it is proper for US”. Baptism is a gift of God, the claim of God upon us—but it always happens in a community of faith, in and through the church. It took John, and Jesus, and God, out there in the water. Here, it takes all of us. When we baptize (and it is usually an infant, but it doesn’t have to be an infant) the family stands up and makes promises for the child. But the elder will turn and ask the congregation: “do you promise to guide and nurture this child, by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging her to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of his church”. Then we sit down—and we should be stunned by what we have just promised. We just promised to guide and nurture someone, in the manner of Christ, who, by the way, died for us, and we have promised to help that one know and love and follow Christ, using our words and deeds, our very lives. Yikes.
I have been at countless baptisms. I have never, ever seen anybody sit down and say “whoa. Nope. Too hard” when we come to that part in the service.
It is said that Martin Luther, discouraged, would pat himself on the top of his bald head, and say “I am baptized”. In some churches, a common greeting to the congregation is “Remember your baptism, and be glad.” Now, most of us here probably can’t remember our baptism—it’s almost a joke, “remember your baptism”. But even that is significant: perhaps we can’t remember our baptism, but we can remember that God loved us, and claimed us, long before we could ever have any knowledge of it, ever have the ability to make a choice for God. God has claimed us.
The second thing I want us to notice in the text about Jesus’ baptism is this: after Jesus comes out of the water, he sees the heavens being opened, and a voice is heard “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I take delight.” God breaches the boundaries between heaven and earth. It is a decisive moment: if there was any doubt, about who Jesus is, here it is, proclaimed out loud, in a voice from heaven. If the genealogy, and the angels, and the dreams, and the wise men showing up to pay homage to the infant king didn’t tell you, here it is. “This is my Son”
And that is what happens in our baptism as well. We understand that in baptism, we are claimed by God, and our truest identity is revealed—as a child of God, and a member of the household of faith. Which is why we don’t use last names when we baptize—have you noticed? We say “Nancy Ellen, child of the covenant, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, joined to the household of faith, made Christ’s own forever.” Maybe that’s what we should say, when we get discouraged, instead of Martin Luther’s I am baptized--say “I am a child of God, made Christ’s own.”
Fred Craddock tells a story about a young boy, who was born out of wedlock. He lived in a little mountain town in the South. The boy had been baptized, and had occasionally attended the church, but the shame of his position was such that he and his mom didn’t go very often. Well, the little church called a new minister. And the boy, hearing the news, decided to go to church and see what the new minister was like. The boy determined to arrive late, and sit in the back, and sneak out before the last hymn ended, so he wouldn’t have to hear any ugly talk about himself or his mother, or his dad, who was married to someone else. But that minister was fast on his feet- so fast, that he got to the door for shaking hands before the boy could slip out. So, trembling, the boy got in line, to pass the new minister and shake his hand at the doorstep. The minister shook his hand, and asked the boy’s name. When the boy whispered his name, he feared the worst, the stories, the looks, the questions. The minister took the boy’s chin in his hand, and said “Why, son, I would have known you anywhere. You look just like your daddy.” Here it is, thought the boy, I am about to be shamed in public...again. “Yes sir” said the preacher, “you have the look of your Father, God the creator, all over you. I should have seen the resemblance immediately.”
In baptism we are claimed by God, joined to the household of faith, and marked as Christ’s own. Forever.
Which is a good thing. Because after Jesus is baptized, the very next thing that happens is that he is out in the desert, undergoing trials. And much the same thing happens to us. Baptism does not give us immunity from trouble. Baptism is not a vaccination; it is not about “luck”. Baptism is a claim of God upon us. Wherever we go—and whatever we go through—we are still held fast in God’s hand, we are still a child of God.
One of my favorite hymns is How Firm a Foundation. And one of the verses says “when thru the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow, For I will be with thee”
The river Jordan, like most rivers, ebbs and flows with run-off. It is seasonal—and in some places, you can walk across with barely getting your feet wet. In other places, it is deep. Jesus went all the way under, under the water. Jesus went out into the wilderness, to be tested. In all these places, he was God’s beloved. And in our times of trial, and testing, when it seems like the water is closing over our heads, we can rest in that assurance as well: “You are my child, my beloved. In you I take delight.”
So, to ask the question John asks, why does Jesus go out into the wilderness, the Jordan, to be baptized? Because Jesus, fully divine, is also fully human—and he knows what we go through. As Immanuel, God with us, Jesus joins us in our life.
And that is the last thing I want us to note. It is in our daily life, in the elements of our daily, human living, bread and wine, water—that we encounter God, and remember God’s love for us. Remember your baptism—and be glad. Amen

Tragedy

2011-01-10T13:57:00.002-05:00

I am struck virtually speechless as I contemplate the tragedy in Tucson earlier this week. I am also struck nearly speechless as we now begin to hear stories of heroism from those who were there at the shooting. Our hearts grieve for all those killed, and for the shooter and his family. One of the confessions of the Presbyterian Church USA (PC(USA)) is "A Brief Statement of Faith" and it says "in life and in death we belong to God". These weeks the Scripture texts are about Jesus' baptism, and what that reveals and means for us. Jesus' baptism did not confer immunity from bad things to him--he died a violent death--and neither does our baptism. It does mean, however, that we belong to God--and nothing can separate from the love of God in Jesus Christ. Baptism also is the beginning of Jesus ministry--and it is ours, too. Our ministry to be peacemakers. Our ministry to be actors-out of love, not hate, life, not death, health, not illness. This is our calling.

Pastor Nancy

Epiphany

2011-01-04T12:31:00.002-05:00

Jokes about Wee Three Kings, or "tried to smoke a rubber cigar..." aside, it is not yet Epiphany- the day the church remembers and clebrates the 3 Wise people. We are pretty much all back at our usual lives, and for many of us, teh tree is down, the leftovers are gone, the New Year's resolutions have started. But the Wise Men (and women) are stilll searching for Jesus. Estimates say they traveled at least 2 years, following the star, before they got to see tha baby Jesus. (who was a toddler by then, apparently). What do you search for in your life? What have you been following for years? It is something that gives light and life, soemthing taht will lead to Jesus? Or have you (and I include myself in this) been following something,been paying attention to something, for years, that will not lead you to the Prince of Peace? Spend some time is silence and prayer, asking yourself: What am I searching for? What can I let go of searching for?
Blessings in this Epiphany time- Pastor Nancy

New Year

2010-12-30T11:42:00.002-05:00

The New Year always brings up a mixed bag of cultural stuff for me--the whole big party, New Year's Eve, watch the ball drop/resolutions/next year will be better/top ten lists, baggage. The New Year will be both good and bad, like most other years. What is constant is the love and care of God. Psalm 139 says "If I ascend to heaven, you are there, if I make my bed in utter darkness, you are there". We might say: "In 2011, you are there, O God. No matter what the time, or where we are, you are always there." No matter what 2011 brings, we can trust in God, who is always there.

Christ the King

2010-11-24T11:58:00.000-05:00

Colossians 1:11-20 p956
11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross

Luke 23:33-43 p859
33When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots to divide his clothing. 35And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” 36The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, 37and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” 39One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and

saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” 40But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43He replied, “Truly I tell you, this day you will be with me in Paradise.”
This is the Word of the Lord….thanks be to God

“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom…” We sing that sometimes (sing it here…)
Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.

There are three crosses on the hill that day—3 men being crucified—and all of them are charged with sedition. They are considered insurrectionists, traitors, and Jesus is there too—as just another traitor against Rome—because nobody goes up against Rome and lives to tell about it.
Rome’s punishment is harsh, and fast, and public—the 3 men are all there on the hill to serve as a warning and a lesson—do not mess with Rome—but that is not the lesson we learn—
The inscription that hangs over Jesus’ head got it right—“This is the King of the Jews”. Ironically, or prophetically, the soldiers got it right. This is the King of the Jews…
But what kind of King? What kind of King would let himself be crucified? What kind of King would die such a public and shameful death? What kind of King would say this about the very people who crucified him: ”Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing…” “Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom”—what kind of kingdom can that possibly be?

Colossians says that Christ is the firstborn of creation, for in him all things in heaven and earth were created—all things have been created through him and for him—that Christ is the image of the invisible God…..but what kind of image is this? A suffering savior? A broken king? A failed Messiah? Who would want any part of that?
In the movie, Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, an unlikely hero. He is a racist, a misogynist, a bitter, warped old man, recently widowed, estranged from his children, furious about all the Hmong immigrants that have moved into the neighborhood. And yet—he acts in a saving way to the family next door, and especially to their young son, who is bullied and threatened and beat up. Mr. Kowalski shares food, and time, and his car, his vintage Gran Torino, with the boy. He does not look like a savior—he looks like an old man, waiting for death to come to him. And yet his actions bring hope and healing to others.
We have talked about apocalypse, about unveiling—about how what is unveiled, what is revealed, is the realest reality, the truest truth—
And in Christ’s crucifixion, we have an unveiling—that THIS is what a Messiah looks like, that this is what God is like—that this is what love looks like—
This is what our rescuer looks like—for in Christ’s dying, and in his rising, God has “rescued us from the power of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son”.
This is not a king like we read about in fairy tales. And we Americans, who have a history, a story and identity based on rejecting kings, have trouble with this image. But this king is not like any human king. And this reign, this kingdom, is not like any earthly empire we have ever seen.
This is not a king like Caesar, in which peace (because the Romans were famous for the Pax Romana) is peace built upon fear, and oppression, and threats.
This king is a paradox—a ruler who was killed like a criminal, among criminals—but a king who is able, even at the moment of his life giving death, to respond, to forgive, to hear, and bless.
And one of the criminals asks to be remembered—Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom—how ever far away that is, however long it takes, however wildly improbable it is that a Palestinian peasant, a man hung up in public on a tree could even have a kingdom-
And what Jesus does is answer him—“This day” This day, you will be with me in paradise. Today- right now—this day
The Gospel of Luke is full of “this day”

Unto you is born THIS DAY, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ, the Lord (lk 2:11)
When Jesus goes to his hometown, and reads from the prophet Isaiah in the Synagogue, he says “This day the scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing…” (lk 4:21)
In the story of Zaccheus, Jesus says to Zaccheus “I must come to your house THIS DAY” and then announces “THIS DAY salvation has come to this house because he, too is a son of Abraham” (19)
That is the kind of king we have, this is the kind of King Christ is—one who hears us, and responds to us, not later, or when he gets around to it, or in the way of politicians and earthly kings, never, but THIS DAY—a king who hears our cries, who responds to us—“even before they call, I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear” says God in Isaiah (65:24) We have a king, we worship a king, who is not in some heaven, light years away , not too busy, not to disconnected, to hear us and listen to us.
And yet—it is a paradox—a mystery—Walter Brueggemann reminds us that a mystery is not “something that can be solved, if only we think harder or better”—no, Christ as king is mystery and paradox- and the kingdom of God, the Reign of Christ, si also a mystery. We look at the world, and think “where is this kingdom?” And yet, we say that it exists, in an already here and not yet kind of way. Sylvia Dunstan, in her hymn Christus Paradox, writes of Christ “you, who walk each day beside us, sit in power at God’s side”….”you Lord, are both lamb and shepherd, you lord are both king and slave”
That is the kind of king we have. Not Caesar, and not whoever, or whatever, it is the current empire says should be Lord—we have a King who listens to us, and hears us, and rescues us. Jesus, remember me, remember us, when you come into your kingdom. This day, we are with him in paradise. Amen.

Apocalypse Now?

2010-11-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Apocalypse Now?

Isaiah 65:17-25 p 607
17For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. 20No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD— and their descendants as well. 24Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the LORD.
Luke 21:5-19 p 856
5When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, 6“As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” 7They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” 8And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. 9“When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” 10Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven. 12“But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. 13This will give you an opportunity to testify. 14So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; 15for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. 16You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17You will be hated by all because of my name. 18But not a hair of your head will perish. 19By your endurance you will gain your souls.

We are standing here, outside of time. Or, rather, in a wrinkle in time, In the calendar of the cultural year, we are getting close to the end—we have come through the cycle of elections, and are looking at the whirl of holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. In the church calendar, we are even closer to the end—next week we will celebrate Christ the King Sunday, which the church marks as the last Sunday in the year, and Advent, starting on Nov 28, will be the beginning of our new year.
Here, in Luke’s Gospel, we have a weird wrinkle as well. Jesus is speaking to the disciples as they are in Jerusalem- right before the Passover, in the middle of Holy Week. He has already had his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, his Palm Sunday moment. And while they are admiring the Temple, Jesus tells them it will all be thrown down. To the people in Luke’s community, who are hearing this a generation later, this has already happened—the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE by the Romans.
And we, sitting here in modern times, are caught in a kind of time warp. Because what Jesus is talking about is the end—the end of the world. And the disciples ask for signs, so they can be prepared, but what Jesus gives them instead is a non-answer, a speech about wars, and insurrections, and famines and plagues, and persecutions and betrayals and death. Not very fun, and more than a little scary. Certainly not what they were hoping for. But we see, today, wars and rumors of war, famine, plague—cholera in Haiti, devastation in Indonesia, Christians being persecuted and murdered in Iraq, people going hungry in our own counties—and we don’t know what to make of all this.
And then, Jesus says this even more odd and less comforting thing. After telling the disciples about persecutions and arrest, being brought before the authorities, betrayals by families, being put to death, Jesus says “This will give you an opportunity to testify”. “An opportunity”—Frankly, Jesus, this sounds like cold comfort to me. A sales pitch gone wrong. “This will give you an opportunity to testify”

The adult classes in both Hector and Lodi are studying the book of Revelation. We are using the excellent study guide put out by the Presbyterian Women, written by Barbara Rossing. Dr Rossing is a professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in Chicago. Her testimony is this: the book of Revelation to John, the last book in our Bible, is a book of comfort and hope. It is a book of love, given to us by a loving God. Now that does not mean there are not some terrible and scary images in it. But through it all, it is a testimony of comfort.

The book of Revelation is a specific kind of literature, a type common in the first century and even earlier, called “an apocalypse” Apocalypse comes from the Greek word for “unveiling”, or drawing back the curtain. This passage in Luke is known as “the little apocalypse”. And what we find in apocalypse, strangely, is comfort, because what we see when we draw back the curtain is this: the vision we are given in Isaiah, the vision we just heard. In that vision, in that reality—and it is the realest reality, the truest truth—we see that God is still creating, that God is with us. We see what actually is, rather than just the way things appear to be. We see this vision of the world the way God intends it—that people will live long and healthy lives, that someone who dies at 100 will still be considered a spring chicken, that people will actually plant things, and have the freedom to eat what they produce, instead of growing for another, that people will actually build lives, and have the freedom and grace and time to live in them, instead of always struggling for somebody else. No more will there be weeping and crying, no more will there be infant mortality or people unable to live out their full life times. I will delight in my people, says God. Be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating, says the Lord.

And that is what we are called to testify to and about. That is WHO we are called to testify to and about. Now, I know, nearly all of us here are not comfortable with “testify”. It brings up scary images of street preachers, or people who button hole you in a coercive and aggressive way. When we talked with Session about what the Book of Order describes as the first responsibility of an elder, which is “To provide opportunities for evangelism to be learned and practiced in and by the church” (BOO G-10.0102a), there was a palpable wave of uncomfortableness—and silence-- around the table.

But what Jesus gave the disciples, clustered there, looking at the Temple, is both bad news and good news. It’s almost like a joke. The bad news is things are going to get tough, really tough, BUT this is an opportunity. An opportunity to testify. The good news is I will be with you- This is comfort—the gift of Himself, and of the Holy Spirit. He tells them--“I will give you words and wisdom.”

We are here this morning, because everywhere along the way, somebody has testified. If those early disciples had not testified, there would have been no church. The church grew and expanded. Through the centuries. We are the beneficiaries of the testimony that was brought about by the persecution and oppression of somebody else.

Now, testimony looks like many things. Sometimes it looks like concrete action—feeding people, giving them rides to the doctor, helping them pay the heating bill and have a safe place to live, or a warm shelter at night. Sometimes, testimony also looks like teaching—teaching children in Sunday School, teaching others what you have learned. Sometimes testimony is joys and concerns offered at the Session meting, or in church. Sometimes testimony is simple: “I don’t know how we got through it. It must have been the power of God.”

Testimony always involves what we have seen, what we have known, how we have experienced God at work in the world and in our lives. In two weeks, we will ask those of you have received the seed money grants to speak about that act of faith. And we know that public speaking is the #1 fear on most people’s charts. We all hated it in 2nd grade, and we hate it still. But “do not fear”, Jesus says to us. “Make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance.” So the Christian life is not about having pat answers, having a handy instant response ready. In Revelation, we are told, the saints sing. Mahalia Jackson said she would only sing gospel music, because, “when you sing gospel, you have the feeling there is a cure for what’s wrong.” Listen to what Jesus says “I will give you words, and a wisdom.” There’s a promise there, that God will be with us, that God will see us through, and bear witness through us to others.

David Livingstone, the legendary missionary to Africa, prayed, "Lord, send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me." And he testified, "What has sustained me is the promise, 'Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

This is the promise Jesus conveys in the midst of his prophetic warnings of what will yet come. It is the promise that we testify to today. It is the promise for all time, and even for the end of time. Amen.

More than Enough

2010-11-08T13:54:00.002-05:00

Psalm 73

Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek. They are not in trouble as other are; they are not plagued like other people.
But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. Who have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
But for me, it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.

We have been working our way through a number of parables this fall. We have heard the parable of the dishonest steward, the parable of the mustard seed, the parable of the persistent widow. Today we have another parable. And as we have come to understand, a parable might seem simple, or clear, on first reading. But it is usually more complicated than that. Clarence Jordan said that a parable is like a Trojan horse- once you let it in, BAM its got you. One of the things we need to know, in opening up this parable, is that Jesus is telling stories about what life in the Kingdom of God is like. It is like ten women, waiting for the bridegroom’s return. It is like a mustard plant that grows from a tiny seed. It is like a master going on a journey…..Listen now for the word of the Lord….
Matthew 25:14-30
14“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another, one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

This is the word of the Lord…..Thanks be to God
On first glance, this seems to be a story about venture capitalism. Two slaves are given money by their owner. They invest it- wisely? Luckily? Who knows? But they get a great return on their investment. When their owner comes back, they are happy to report the good return, and they are rewarded. The third slave, on the other hand, doesn’t do anything with the investment—well, he does one thing— he doesn’t lose it. He buries it in the ground- and, no surprise--it produces no yield, no return. And when he reports to the master, he is thrown out into the outer darkness. Not exactly a happy ending?

There are some things we need to know about this story. The money is the master’s. It is his to do with as he pleases. And what pleases him? Entrusting porperty to his servants. The master gives his own money to the servants, in full trust. This is what the business world calls a “fiduciary transaction” – that is based on the Latin word, fide, for trust.

Second, the master gives them an enormous amount—in today’s dollars, the sums would equal between half a million and several million dollars. I don't know about you, but Id be a little nervous to entrusted with that amount of money.

Third, irt seems teh master gives without any restrictions, any prerequisites—but we are told that the master gives “according to their abilities”. The master knows the slaves, knows what they can handle, what they are capable of accomplishing. Then he leaves.
Well, the master finally returns to settle teh accounts after being gone "a long time." And we hear the reports of the slaves to the master. We don’t know what the slaves did, how they invested- but we do know that “trust” and “joy” are involved. The servants are described as “trustworthy”- the version many of us know is “well done, good and faithful servant”. Faithful, dependable, trustworthy- take your pick. And then the servants enter into the “joy of their master”. They have acted in trust, and are proclaimed trustworthy themselves.

The third slave, however, has not acted in trust. He has acted out of fear. He buried the money- the text says “concealed it”. Now, he could have told the master he hid teh money for safekeeping. That was accepted practice in teh first century. Instead,he tells the master “I was afraid” He feared the master, describes him as greedy and dishonest, and acted out of fear—fear of not enough.

In many ways, the third slave is like the person described in Psalm 73—who sees others, sees how well off they are, sees how “sound and sleek” their bodies are—no disease, no health problems, no putting off going to the doctor because of worry about how much the bill is going to be, no letting the car go with that funny noise because you can’t afford to get it fixed, and because you’re afraid of how expensive its going to be. The writer of Psalm 73 sees those rich, sleek people, and is filled with fear and envy. He says about himself “but as for me, my feet had almost stumbled….until I went into the sanctuary of God”. When the writer encounters God, his mind is made clear—he sees what is trustworthy: “Whom have I in heaven but you? You hold my right hand”

The parable is, at heart, not a story about money markets and good investment strategies. It is a story about trust. And, it is about risk. Because the two alwasy travel hand in hand. The kingdom of God is like a master who gives. Extravagantly. Abundantly. Good gifts, that produce good fruit. We learned in the parable of the mustard seed that we already have enough faith. And we learned in the parable on the unjust steward that God wants, expects us, to use our minds, our imagination, our talents. We learn in this story to trust.
I think the first two servants knew their boss and teh thrid one didnt have a clue. The first two knew he expected results, but that resluts were less important than effort. Tom Watson, former head of IBM is quoted as saying "To increase your success rate you have to double your failure rate." Why? becase great success can rarely happen withput taking some risk.

When we act, trusting those gifts and that God, we are acting out Kingdom of God living. The Kingdom of God is not ruled by fear of not enough—it is based on trust in a God who is giving—so giving that he comes to us, eats with us, invites us to eat with him.
We live that out, here, as a community of faith, gathered around this Table. I am not telling you anything you don’t already know, that the past few years have been very difficult. And yet—and yet—God has blessed us richly, so that we can be a blessing to others. God is always a God of enough—more than enough. God feeds God’s people with manna and quail in the wilderness, with so much fish and bread—out of nothing—that there is enough for everybody, and enough for baskets of leftovers to be taken up. The economy of the kingdom of God is abundant and knows no scarcity. God feeds us so well, we have food to give to the food pantry, and to the Free lunch, and the OFA luncheon, and to shut ins, and to the Community Turkey Dinner. God has blessed us, so that we can be a blessing to others. Which is what we will do, in the giving of the seed money grants later this morning. The Session acted, trusting God, and trusting you, faithful servants, to use your imagination and skills and talents, to produce a return for God, and to share that blessing with others.
God blesses us here, at the Table. In overflowing love, in abundant grace, we are called. To be fed, to be nourished, and to go out into the world to reflect that abundant love to others. Because God is always a God of more than enough. Amen

Faith as a mustard seed

2010-10-12T15:22:00.001-04:00

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4 p. 762
The oracle that the prophet Habakkuk saw. O LORD, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not listen? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see wrong-doing and look at trouble? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law becomes slack and justice never prevails. The wicked surround the righteous— therefore judgment comes forth perverted.
I will stand at my watchpost, and station myself on the rampart; I will keep watch to see what he will say to me, and what he will answer concerning my complaint. Then the LORD answered me and said: Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it. For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie. If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay. Look at the proud! Their spirit is not right in them, but the righteous live by their faith.

Luke 17:5-10 p 852
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” The Lord replied, “If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. “Who among you would say to your slave who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat and drink’? Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

Those of us who are a certain age can remember the jewelry- the mustard seed jewelry. A tiny glass bubble contained one, tiny, yellowy-brown mustard seed, and that was fashioned into a bracelet or a necklace. It was to be a visible reminder of what size of faith, what kind of faith we are to have.
“If you have faith as a grain of mustard” Jesus says to the disciples when they ask—no, demand—more faith. “Increase our faith” they say, as if faith were a commodity, something they could measure or weigh out, something we could somehow accumulate, somehow have more of.
This passage has often been preached to scold people—or we feel ashamed and guilty when we read it. We ask ourselves: Is my faith even smaller than a grain of mustard? Or, perhaps, we feel that is the truth of our life- we don’t have EVEN faith the size of a grain of mustard- that our faith is infinitesimal. We look at other people, and they seem so serene- because of faith. When they go through hard times, their faith doesn’t seem to waiver. When they are suffering, they do not complain—they have faith. They are pillars of faith, we might say. And we look at ourselves, our own internal life, and compare. We see ourselves as lacking in the faith department. We want that, we think. We want to be like that. Give me more faith, make my faith stronger, we pray, just like the disciples.
But what if, when Jesus was speaking to the disciples, holding his thumb and finger apart only this far, he was not scolding them? What if he was telling them: not, you don’t have even this much faith, but, this much faith, that you already have, is enough? In the original language, the “if” presumes a positive answer: Yes, you do have enough faith!
Earlier this year, we talked about “faith” as a verb—faithing is really a better translation of the word used for faith. And that is where we come to the parable of the slave. We are uncomfortable with language about slavery. And the story we heard sounds harsh to our ears. The slave in the story has just finished a hard day’s work in the fields, and now has to come home and prepare dinner and serve at the table, with no thanks at all. But slaves and masters were common in Jesus’ time, and are part of his world. Jesus says that we are to be like the slave: get to work! If faith is a verb, then “faithing” is the work we are called to do. The issue then becomes less about the amount of faith that we have, and more about what we are doing with that faith.
“Faithing” sometimes looks like the words we heard in Habakkuk. Habakkuk is a prophet, and he is speaking to God, lamenting to God—in a pretty bold way. “O Lord, how long shall I cry to you, and you will not listen? How long will there be violence, and injustice, and you don’t do a thing? I will stand here at my watchpost—I will stand right here and wait—I will watch to see what he will say to me” says the prophet. This is what faith looks like: Habakkuk, is a prophet in Jerusalem, probably in the Temple itself, in the 7th century BCE. He is, essentially, yelling at God: Don’t you see what I am seeing? God, come down and DO something!
Now, we might expect Habakkuk to get struck by lightning, or struck with boils and sores, or something- do we dare talk to God like this? But this IS faith talk, this is faith in action, because it is faith in a person, a relationship—with God! A God who is always trustworthy, who hears us, who listens to Habakkuk’s cry—because this is what God says:
“Write the vision, make it plain, so large that even a runner running by may read it. There is indeed a vision, which I, God, am creating. If it does not come as soon as you want it, then wait for it—it will surely come, it will not delay.” Then, there is this little blessing at the end—“the righteous live by their faith.”
The righteous live by their faith. When times are tough, we feel like we can barely breathe, much less live. But, God tells us, the righteous live by their faith. You already have enough faith—even when it is the size of a grain of mustard! It is enough because it is faith in Christ, the One who is among as one who serves, the One who calls us—and everyone—to Come here at once and take our place at the table. Amen

Parable of Lazarus and what's his name

2010-09-28T10:49:00.000-04:00

Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 p643

The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of King Zedekiah of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 2At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the prophet Jeremiah was confined in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah, 3where King Zedekiah of Judah had confined him. Zedekiah had said, “Why do you prophesy and say: Thus says the LORD: I am going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; 6Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came to me: 7Hanamel son of your uncle Shallum is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.” 8Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the LORD, and said to me, “Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. 9And I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. 10I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and weighed the money on scales. 11Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions, and the open copy; 12and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 13In their presence I charged Baruch, saying, 14Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware jar, in order that they may last for a long time. 15For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.

Luke 16:19-31
The Rich Man and Lazarus
19-21"There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.
22-24"Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'
25-26"But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.'
27-28"The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'
29"Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.'
30"'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.'
31"Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"
This is the Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

There you have it- a simple story- black and white—the rich man lived sumptuously, Lazarus laid in the street and begged. The rich man died and went to hell, Lazarus went to heaven, the rich man was bad, Lazarus was good—right? So simple—and yet, Scripture—and life—are more nuanced, more complicated than that.

We have a portrait of the rich man—he feasted sumptuously, he was clothed in purple, a color worn only by royalty, and was dressed in fine linens- according to the text, even his underwear was fancy and expensive- that’s the fine linens they are talking about. Lazarus, a poor man, is so weak from hunger that he is laid—or, literally, dumped- at the rich man’s gate—so weak that he cannot even shoo the dogs away who come to keep him company and lick his wounds. They both die—isn’t that the great leveler? And the rich man is buried and winds up in Hades, the home of the dead. And Lazarus is carried by angels, and goes to heaven, where he is comforted in the bosom of Abraham. Quite a reversal.

But—did the rich man sin so badly? Is it right to equate the description of his opulence with sin and evil? Was Lazarus rewarded in heaven for his suffering on earth? Ancient though equated prosperity with goodness and God’s favor. So when we see the rich man doing well, and Lazarus on the street, the standard thinking would be that they were getting what they deserved. We hear this today in people who preach the Prosperity Gospel—that if you are good, God will reward you. And if you are suffering? Then you need to get right with God—and God will reward you with wealth.

The Gospel of Luke is a gospel of reversals. It is especially favored by liberation theologies, which rose up out of the poverty and suffering of South and Central America, who know the kind of suffering Lazarus has endured. We hear of reversals in the very first chapter of the Gospel according to Luke. And, because we need to be reminded of what God is doing, of what kind of god our God is, we hear it every year at Advent: Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, in which she sings “my soul rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant…..He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”

I guess God has brought down the powerful, and lifted up the lowly—Lazarus is certainly feasting at the table with Abraham--but still, the parable doesn’t tell us that the rich man is an evil man. But look carefully at what he does do—when the rich man is in hell, suffering, dying for even a drop of water—he still thinks he has power and privilege, he still is trying to run the show. He goes directly to the top man—he goes to Father Abraham, and asks Father Abraham to send a servant…who just happens to be Lazarus. Now, at some point in life, the rich man has noticed Lazarus enough to know his name—in fact, Lazarus is the only person in any of Jesus’ parables who is named—a privilege Mr. Megabucks doesn’t get—but the rich man still doesn’t really see Lazarus—not as a person. He doesn’t speak to Lazarus, but only speaks about him—Send Lazarus to me. And Abraham has pity on the rich man- he even calls him “my child” but he cannot send Lazarus to him. The rich man then asks for Father Abraham to at least send Lazarus to warn his brothers—again, there it is- sending Lazarus—as if Lazarus was just a waiter, or an errand boy, instead of another one of the rich man’s brothers.

Because that, I believe, is the problem—the rich man doesn’t see Lazarus, doesn’t see him as a human being made in the image of God. Last week, we talked about both the Unjust Manager, and the Prodigal Son. Both of those men had moments of clarity—where they saw, clearly and definitively, what the truth of their situation was- the prodigal son when he was a long way from home, and came to his senses—the Unjust steward, when he saw the truth of his situation- I am too weak to beg, and to proud too dig. But here, the rich man doesn’t really see at all. He doesn’t have any clarity about his situation—he is still trying to call the shots. The rich man didn’t really see Lazarus when he was outside his gate, and he doesn’t see Lazarus as a person now, even after this great reversal of fortunes.

Jeremiah was a prophet in Jerusalem. The weeping prophet, he is called, because he laments and cries over the city and the people, as Babylon is pounding at the doors and taking the city and people captive. In this morning’s reading, the Babylonians are already in the city—and Jeremiah begins to see something—a message from God—to go and buy a field. Now, Jeremiah is in prison, he has no children to pass the land onto, and the real estate future looks pretty dim. But he buys a field, and makes quite a big production of it. There is a scribe, Baruch—and witnesses- the Judeans and people in the courtyard—and there is a public exchange of money and deeds- and they are preserved for posterity. Jeremiah is doing what is called a prophetic sign act- a public performance of what the kingdom of God is like, of what God is calling him to do.

Now, Jeremiah is a prophet. And prophets don’t see the future, or at least not in a “crystal ball’ kind of way—but Jeremiah sees God’s future, all the same. Jeremiah sees the future that God is securing, is preparing—a future, with hope.

Last week, we talked about being savvy—being shrewd. Jeremiah’s action is the exact opposite of that—if there is anything more “unshrewd” I can’t imagine what it could be—buying a field in a city that is occupied by a foreign army. While you are in prison. And you don’t have any children to inherit the field of land.

But sometimes, this is what God’s economy looks like. It looks a lot like foolishness. St Paul wrote that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom” (1 Cor 1:25) Father Abraham himself knows about foolishness. God told him to leave his country and his family, “to go to a place I will show you.” And Abraham and Sarah did just that

Perhaps Jeremiah’s actions are foolish—But he is acting in hope—hope in a future that God is both promising and creating. He trusts in God.

I am sure we would not consider ourselves rich, like the rich man. And we would not consider ourselves poor, certainly not as poor as Lazarus. Perhaps we are the brothers—the ones who do not listen- do not listen to Moses and the prophets.

The text has Father Abraham saying : “ they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead”. “Even if”…. But we do have someone who rose from the dead- for our sakes! He is both the wisdom of God, and the world’s foolishness. By the grace of God, we have Jesus Christ.

The vision in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is one of judgment. Both the rich man and Lazarus have lived their lives, and now they are reaping the rewards. Father Abraham tells the man: “if your brother did not listen to Moses and the prophets—and Jeremiah was one of them—if we listen to Jeremiah, who acts because he believes in a God of future and hope, then what will we do? How will we act?

One of the ways might look like this: Habitat for Humanity. It is foolishness, at least according to prevailing economic thinking, to give credit—and a house—to someone who has never had either. But Habitat is a mix of both savvy and foolishness—people who have never had a house, are trained in finances, trained in budgeting. And they put sweat equity into their homes—and the houses of others, who are also looking to a future, with hope.

Most of us, I imagine, know that every dollar bill and coin in the US has written on them “In God we trust”. If that is true, then, and if we take the time to read that, or remember that every time we spend some money, what will we spend it on? What economy of God, what spending for a future, and a hope, will we do?

School starts soon

2010-08-31T08:28:00.002-04:00

School starts soon- for some college students, it has already begun. For me, school has always been a mix of fun-- I love to read-- and frustration--I am really bad at math. No matter where we go, though, we can remember God is always there. John Calvin said that "the knowledge of all that is most excellent in human life is said to be communicated to us through the Spirit of God." We learn, not only in school, but on our families, our churches, our daily interactions with others. As an early childhood teacher for over 20 years (before I came to full time ministry) we used to say "parents are a child's first teacher." What are we teaching--in our liturgy? In our actions? In our words?
Here is a poem about God in school:

Paradise High
by Marcus Goodyear

God slouches at the front of the universe
leaning against his desk, taking roll
with a red pen in his spiral book of life.
He teaches every subject himself,
every grade, every student. He leads
every parent conference appearing
as principal, department head, counselor,
and teacher. At night he walks the halls
alone with a broom and a trash can.
He’s not too grand to pick up
the wad of gum some kid mashed
onto a door frame. He’s not above
using divine elbow grease to scrub
away bathroom graffiti. Sometimes
he finds drawings of himself
cross-eyed with a caption,
“What a dork!” the picture of a fool.
But every morning he’s back
in the cafeteria, handing out
his own body for breakfast
with a pint of 2% milk—
or chocolate if you like.
He wears a Padres ball cap
to keep God hairs out of the food.
He runs the register, too,
though he never makes us pay.
“I’ll get this one,” he says—
and every time we wonder why
there’s a register at all? Why receipts?
When the bells ring, students rush to class
past God the hall monitor into the room
of Mr. God, the teacher. He greets us
by name wherever we are.
But only in his room do we find
a seat while he watches. God’s voice
crackles and pops over the PA
during announcements while God
lines up the hooligans in the hall
to assign tardy detentions.
I hold my breath when God walks
the aisles in his classroom collecting
our English themes like prayers.
Dear God, I pray, I pass.

hat tip to www.adamjcopeland.com for both the Calvin quote and the poem

Sermon Aug 15, 2010

2010-08-15T18:57:00.001-04:00

Sermon August 15, 2010
Genesis 1:1

1. When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was void and vacuum, and darkness was upon the surface of the deep while the breath of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said “Let there be light”. And there was light. God saw that the light was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness. God named the light “Day” and the darkness he named “Night.” Evening came and then morning, day one.-

Day 6 1:24-2:4a
Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living beings, each according to its kind: domestic animals, crawlers and wild animals, each according to its kind. And it was so. So God made the wild animals, each according to its kind, and domestic animals, each according to its kind, and everything that crawls on the ground, each according to its kind. God saw that it was good. Then God said “Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish of the sea, and over the winged creatures in the heavens, over the domestic animals, over all the land, and over everything that crawls on the land. So God created the human being in his image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the winged creatures in the heavens and over every creature that crawls on the ground.

God said: VOILA! I hereby give to you every seed bearing plant that is upon the surface of all the land and every tree whose fruit bears seed. To you shall it be for food. And to every wild animal, to every winged creature in the heavens, to every creature that crawls on the ground in which there is a living self, I hereby give every green plant for food. And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and voila, it was extremely good. Evening came, and morning, sixth day.

Thus the heavens and earth and all their hosts were completed. On the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, he ceased on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because on it he ceased from all the work that God had done in creation.

Luke 12:13-21
13Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” 14But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” 16Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. 17And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ 18Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ 20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ 21So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

Quite a difference, huh? We’ve gone from “it was good!” to “Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

In this creation account, the first one, because there are two, the priestly one, all is in order, all is in stately, worshipful procession. We move from Day Zero, in which there is vacuum and void, to Day 7, in which creation is completed, and holy, and God ceases from activity, because all is done, and all is good.
Did you notice how late in the story humanity comes in? It’s not until Day 6 that humans make an appearance. And they—or we—are described in this way: “So God created the human being in his image, in the image of God he crated them, male and female he created them.” The creation of humanity is unique. No one else is described as “in the image”. Cast in God’s image, women and men are to reflect and refract God’s presence in the world.
As God in Genesis 1 is no imperious warrior, so human beings are not conquerors of creation. The language of dominion lacks all sense of exploitation. The hoarding of resources is implicitly forbidden in the account: seed bearing plants and fruit trees are granted to both animals and humans alike. God’s gift of sustenance is one of abundance, not scarcity, to be shared, not hoarded. Humanity’s regime over the world in Genesis 1 is constructive, consonant with God’s life-sustaining creation. In the hands of the Priestly writers, the language of ruling and subduing is transformed. Humanity’s “dominion” is unlike any other kind of dominion. It is modeled on and filled with the collaborative, life-sustaining practices set by the creator God.

Terence Fretheim, Professor of Old Testament at Luther Seminary , writes this: while creatures are deeply dependent upon God for their creation and life, God has chosen to establish an interdependent relationship with them with respect to both originating and continuing creation. God's approach to creation is communal, relational, and, in the wake of God's initiating activity, God works from within the world rather than on the world from without. The importance of God's word in creation is often a communicating with rather than an independent word.

… what human beings do count with God, make a difference to God with respect to the future of creation.

In Genesis, God calls upon already existing, nonhuman creatures to be part of creating: God says “let the earth bring forth…and the earth brings forth.” God shares creative power with that which is not human. And those who are human, who are created in God’s image, are also called to be part of the creating, imaginative action and work. Human beings are invited—indeed, formed for and called—to take part in this work.
The words that appear in v 28, “have dominion over” are phrased in such a way to remind us of the power rulers have over their subjects. But we are not called to be tyrants, we are called to be good stewards of all that has been given to us. In the same way, humans beings, made in the image of God, are called to “subdue” the earth. In this, humans are called to act in God’s image again—to make order out of disorder. Creation is not seen as static, but as constantly changing, reacting and interacting. We are called to be part of that “good” that God has declared the world to be.

So, again, how do we get from this “good”ness, to “tell my brother to give me my inheritance?” And even more, how do we get from interacting with creation, with God’s good gifts, to “a man built bigger barns.”

Jesus once again has answered a question with a story, a parable. If creation is a gift to us, as the children learned in Vacation Bible School, a parable is also a gift to us. We might be puzzled or dismayed by this gift, however.

Among the questions we want to ask is” what’s wrong with building barns? What s wrong with preparing for the future? Noah prepared for the future—at God’s orders! Joseph built barns, and stored up grain, saving from the fat years to get through the lean years, for the saving of the nation of Israel, and the saving of the Egyptians—so what is wrong with this barn building? Isn’t it, really, a form of good stewardship?

But look carefully at the parable—we are told that the land of the rich man produced abundantly. The rain and the soil, the days and the nights, have worked to produce a bumper crop- so big that the man can’t store it all. But we have no word about how hard the man, or even his workers’ worked. There is now word about the rain, or the soil, or the fruitfulness of the grain itself. There is nothing on the rich man’s consciousness about what worked in concert to deliver to him the abundance. . Look at how many times the man uses “I”, “me” and “mine” — Here the concern is only for himself, not for neighbors, not for his workers, not for those who are landless and cannot produce food for themselves, not for the aliens, the widows, those at the margins of society. And nowhere in the man’s thinking does God appear. No word of thankfulness, no attitude of gratitude, no word of the tithe, only “me” and “mine”.
With all this excess at the center of his thinking, the man plunges into idolatry—the idolatry of things.
The problem is not that things are bad in and of themselves, but the problem for the man—and perhaps for us as well—is that the rich man is placing his trust, his faith, in them, rather than in the sustaining, creating, redeeming God. That is the definition of idolatry—putting something else in God’s place.

Jesus’ last words in this story are these: “those who are not rich toward God.” What does that mean to be “rich towards God?” It’s not even a phrase we use—to be rich towards something or someone. But I would suggest it looks like this: to be rich towards God is first of all, to be reminded that we are formed in the image of God. And to be rich toward God means that we behave like it—we are able to see what is good—and name it, and give thanks to God for it. We are called to be good stewards of all that we have been given. We are also called to be part of God’s creative and imaginative work in the world, restoring the earth, working for justice, building barns for the care of others and not just ourselves. In our Adult Sunday School class in Lodi, we have working our way thru the 6 Great Ends of the church. The Last Great End is “The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World.” We do that, we live out that example, by being good stewards, imaginative stewards, creative stewards, of all that we have been given--time, money, talents. Ask the kids from vbs—they have been talking about taking care of this great gift, the earth, that we have been given by God.
In Vacation Bible School we talked about the “R” words- you know these- “reduce, reuse, recycle” They added a fourth one—Rebuy- and the attic sale here at the church was a perfect example of rebuy writ large—and successfully. But the last R the kids talked about was “remember”—Remember who made you, and who made the earth. Remember who supplied the rain, and who made the crops to grow. Remember who you are, and whose you are. Remember—what we are called to do with all our good gifts. Remember in whose image we are made.

Amen

credits to Dr William P Brown, The Seven Pillars of Creation

Sermon Aug 8 2010

2010-08-15T18:53:00.002-04:00

Colossians 1:1-14
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2To the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. You have heard of this hope before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world, so it has been bearing fruit among yourselves from the day you heard it and truly comprehended the grace of God. 7This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Luke 11:1-13
He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” 5And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ 7And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 9“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

“Lord, teach us to pray.” Can you hear the request behind the request? All the great rabbis like John the Baptist taught their disciples special prayers, and wasn’t Jesus a greater rabbi than John? Look at all the amazing things God did for Jesus. “Lord, teach us to pray…and the unspoken text is “teach us to pray prayers
that work,” and we’re standing right there next to the disciples hand cupped over our ears to learn Jesus’ system.

Seems every so often books come out with the latest sure-fire 5-step or 30-day method that will get God to respond favorably. A few years ago, it was the Prayer of Jabez. According to this book (only 9.99 at Amazon.com) if you keep praying this prayer from 1 Chronicles every day, you, too, will be abundantly blessed. Frankly, I’m suspicious of anyone who claims to know how to unlock “The Power of Prayer” because one way or another they turn God into some kind of cosmic vending machine. Put the right prayer into the slot, push G-10 and out pops what we want. Yet, we have stories in the bible in which prayer seems to change God’s mind. We have stories of both Abraham and Moses who argue with God—and get God to change God’s own mind.

“Lord, teach us to pray,” and we want to know what we can do. And Jesus does what he always does. He challenges us to look at prayer differently. This is good news. There are no magical words or special way to pray. What’s important is that the Lord’s Prayer and Jesus’ teaching focuses first on the nature of the One to whom we pray. Prayer like worship and Christian discipleship is first and foremost about putting God at the center. And prayer is about a relationship.
In the Colossians text we heard, the first time we hear about prayer is in the 3rd verse, nearly the very beginning of the letter to the church, in which the writers tell the church in Colossae that prayers of thanksgiving are being offered to God because of their faith in Jesus Christ and their love for all the believers. The writers have a relationship with the church, and with God. More than simply thinking about them, or wishing them well, the apostle is connected to the church in Colossae and through them to everyone else.
In the early church, the ancient monks understood this connection. They believed that a life of prayer manifested itself in a relationship with others and that prayer, as dialogue and union with God, had the effect of holding the world together. Prayer is not only what binds the church to God; it is what holds these communities—and ours—together.
Many of you have received post cards from the youth on their mission trip. They wrote as a thank you, to us, and even to the Sunday School children, thanking the church for our support of them. This is what some of them said: “We are doing a great thing. Please keep us in our prayers—we are praying for you….I am keeping you in my prayers…Please keep us in your prayers and we’ll do the same!...Thank you very much for your help that made this trip possible. Please keep us in your prayers as we pray for you….Remember that we are praying for you, and please continue to pray for us!” These are teenagers, writing to small children—and what binds them together is prayer—they have a relationship that is expressed and shown through prayer!
In The Way of the Heart, Henri Nouwen says that one problem with our view of prayer is that many Christians view it largely as “an activity of the mind”- an intellectual exercise, that reduces prayer to simply speaking about God or thinking about God. And that is a problem, Nouwen writes, because viewing prayer as thinking makes God into an object that needs to be scrutinized or analyzed. Nouwen acknowledges that we do use our mind, our intellect, when we pray, but pushes us to see prayer as an activity of the heart. I would push us to see it as an activity of our whole lives.
In the Colossians text, we are told that Paul and his friends “have not ceased praying for you”. If prayer were only an intellectual exercise, then Paul and Timothy would be in a marathon prayer session where each must take turns sleeping and eating so as to never stop speaking to God. If we understand prayer rather as an exercise of the heart, of our whole lives, then to pray without ceasing is to understand that prayer continues when one is talking with God, or with others, at work or at play, in meetings or at meals. Prayer of the heart is the active presence of God’s Spirit in our lives. But prayer of the heart also pushes us to take action.
Rabbi Abraham Heschel marched in Selma with Martin Luther King, Jr, and famously wrote: “"For many of us the march from Selma to Montgomery was about protest and prayer. Legs are not lips and walking is not kneeling. And yet our legs uttered songs. Even without words, our march was worship. I felt my legs were praying."
In Zen practice, one is called to do a task purely—with no outside thoughts—sweeping the floor is entirely sweeping the floor, and nothing else intrudes. Looking at things slightly differently, the Shakers had the phrase “Hands to work, hearts to God.” All work could be seen as a prayer, a way to worship and glorify God. Dr Rodger Nishioka used to start classes with this instruction: Breathe. Breathe in the mercies of God, and breathe out those mercies onto others.
In the Gospel of Luke, what we know as the Lord’s Prayer begins simply: “Father.” It is a view of God as a parent. And like a parent, God is ready to listen anytime, anywhere, during the day when life gets hectic and seemingly out of control; during quiet times when we can thank God for the blessings of peaceful moments; even in the middle of the night when a crisis occurs, as we are walking, as we are working. What I like about Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer is that it addresses God simply as “Father”, not “Our Father who art in heaven” which seems to put God somewhere out there. In Luke, we have a greater sense of God “with us,” right here, in our daily lives, in our daily tasks.
But it is being in relationship with God that matters. In the parable of the friend woken in the middle of the night, he gets out of bed, we are told, because of the first man’s insistence—even pushiness—not because of the friendship. But he would not have gone to his sleeping friend if the relationship did not already exist. And the mutuality of the friendship is such that there is an expectation—the next time, if I need bread, I can come to you. If a pushy stranger had knocked on the door, the parable would have had quite a different result. Like all relationships, it grows deeper with time, with conversation, with attention—with more prayer.
“I’m praying for you” is often just a cliché, or something we say when we don’t know what else to say. But when we understand prayer as located in the heart, then all who are in our lives, and even those who are beyond our knowing, are brought into God’s presence at the center of our being. According to Nouwen, this is a mystery for which there are no words, but it is the very nature of God, Father, that in some wondrous way we are redeemed, fed, strengthened, and joined together with the whole church . Amen.

credits to Dr Rodger Nishioka in Feasting on the Word, Year C, Vol 3

Sermon Aug 1, 2010

2010-08-04T10:21:00.001-04:00

Micah 6:6-8
6“With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Luke 10:25-37
25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 26He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" 27He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." 28And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."
29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

A parable, we are told, is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. You heard me tell the children that a parable is like a gift. It is something that God gives us. And, like a gift box, the story has a lid on it. It’s only when we open the lid that we can begin to see what’s inside.
In the Middle East, stories are told—long stories. It is no surprise that the stories of 1001 Arabian Nights came out of that culture. Ken Bailey, who was the son of missionaries, and grew up in the Middle East, says that rather than direct answers, which our culture favors, a Middle Easterner will tell a story. In Luke, we have many parables, many stories- Ken Bailey has written a book about these stories, about the “losts”- the lost coin, the lost, or prodigal son, the “lost” sheep- I would add this parable to his list. For the lawyer, in asking his question, is really lost, and looking for directions- directions for his life. And Jesus, good teacher that he is, answers the lawyer’s question with a question-
The man, the lawyer, was a learned man, a scholar of Scripture. And as so many learned people do, he just had to show off- just a little bit-The word used in the text for justify means “make righteous”- but wanting to righteous himself, we might translate. But he gets that wrong. We can’t “righteous” ourselves. That is the work of God. Even in Micah, when the question is asked “What does the LORD require of you?” the requirement is not what makes us righteous—it is what the kingdom of God, lived out, looks like.

In the same way, the lawyer’s premise that he begins his argument with is wrong- “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” the lawyer asks- well, you can’t do anything to inherit eternal life- or to inherit anything else, for that matter- You can’t make your Uncle Fred leave you any money, and you can’t make Grandma leave you the family silver- an inheritance is a gift- a bequest- so the lawyer is wrong from the git-go- but bless his heart, he does know the law- he quotes a passage from Deuteronomy (6:5) , and a passage from Leviticus- (19:18b)-
John Calvin talked about the 3rd use of the Law- law as a guide for grateful behavior- law as a guide for how to live a life of gratitude for all that God has done for us. This is what the Micah passage is about.

You know, when we hear this story, we immediately think “Where am I in this parable? The priest? The Levite? Would I be the Good Samaritan? That’s just human nature- we place ourselves in the story. For the Jews of Jesus’ day, it would have been shocking for the Jews to think of being in a ditch, beaten, left to die- and being rescued by a Samaritan. The Samaritans were hated, thought not to worship God rightly, thought to be a kind of half-breed, to use a derogatory term, in some ways to be colluders with the enemies of Israel- and so it would have been outrageous for a Samaritan to be the hero of the story. In fact, it was so outrageous, that the lawyer, at the end, can’t even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan” – when Jesus asks “which one of these was a neighbor…” the man can only mumble “the one who showed him mercy…”

But we need to see this story as about God. God is the one who shows mercy. God is the one who rescues us from the ditch. Just as God is described in the other “lost” stories (God searches for us as diligently as a woman searches for a lost coin, God will go after the lost, just as a shepherd will search for a lost lamb,) This story tells us what God is like- God is the one who rescues us, and binds up our wounds, it is God in Jesus Christ who pays for us- it is God who shows us mercy when no one else will….
God is like the Samaritan

This really hit home for me when I was sitting next to a dying man. He was 30 yrs old, in end stage kidney disease. I didn’t know him very well, having only met him during the last stages of his disease, when he was almost speechless- so lethargic that speech was difficult for him- so we spoke only a little. I knew that he had not gone to church as a child, that his friends, who were all church goers, tried to get him to come with them, with little success.
And, at a loss for words, sitting at his bedside, I began to tell him the story of the Good Samaritan-in much the way I might tell a bedtime story to a child…. this man had, essentially, been left in the road to die. His family had abandoned him because he was HIV positive. The medical group had walked past him, because they couldn’t offer him anything, the chaplain assigned to his floor was very uncomfortable with him, and the church certainly hadn’t visited him. So, I was the chaplain who got him- and, at a loss, not knowing what to say, I began to tell him this story. And that’s when I got it- God is the good Samaritan- God is the one who picks us up, and takes us to a safe place, who binds up our wounds- The prophet Jeremiah asks: is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? (Jer 8:22) Well, yes, there is- God in Jesus Christ rescues and heals us- and others, who are rejected --
and as hard as it might be for us to hear it, God does this out of great mercy, not out of anything we do. We cannot earn it- it is a free gift- an inheritance of grace-

Listen again to the end of the story-Jesus asks the lawyer-

36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" 37He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Go and do likewise. Now I’d like us to look for a moment at the behavior of the Samaritan- he bandaged the man’s wounds, and put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn. The Samaritan paid 2 days wages- that’s what 2 denarii was worth. The Samaritan did small things- bandaged him, put oil and wine on his wounds, paid for his hotel stay—but at great risk to himself. Ken Bailey, to help us understand this, tells the story this way: what if, in the Wild West, a Native American were to bring into town a cowboy draped over his horse, a cowboy, with 2 arrows, sticking out of his back. And what if the Native American were to bring him to a hotel, and spend money, and take care of him. What would the townspeople have thought? Amy-Jill Levine asks “who is there, if you were lying in a ditch, what group is there that you would rather die than be rescued by?” That is how shocking this story is—that is how risky the Samaritans actions are.

The Samaritan did small things- at great risk, with great love--
You know, there’s a culture in American, of BIG- we need to do big things. And this is true even for churches- we read about BIG churches, we hear about BIG mega-churches, maybe we see them on tv- what can we do, we might ask ourselves? What can we accomplish? We’re a little church- we’re just one church, I’m just one person-

In his book Messy Spirituality. Michael Yaconelli relates this story:
During WW II, a British Air force bomber plane was flying back to England after a night’s duty. While in flight, they received 5 bullets from a German plane in the fuselage of the bomber. The crew braced for the explosion, but nothing happened. They could see the fuel pouring out of the bullet holes, but there was no explosion. Miraculously, they were able to make it back to England and land safely at their home base.
A few hours after they landed, the mechanic came and found the crew. He had found the 5 bullets inside the fuel tanks, crumpled but not exploded. He handed them to the pilot. The pilot carefully opened them, and found, not gunpowder, but a tightly wrapped piece of paper. When he unfolded it, he found a note which read: “We are Polish POW. We are forced to make bullets in the factory. When the guards are not looking, we do not fill with powder. Is not much, but best we can do. Please tell our families we are alive. And it was signed by 4 Polish prisoners of war. “

Michael Yaconelli goes on to write: “The power of goodness is found in the tiny. Since the beginning, God has chosen the small over the large…David over Goliath, Elijah over the prophets of Baal, one sheep over the ninety nine.”

Go and do likewise. Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with God. That’s what the kingdom of God looks like.
In a few minutes, we will be fed at the Table. We will be fed with what might seem like small things- a small portion of bread, a little cup of juice—but they are the gifts of God offered out of the compassion of God. We are called to do likewise along our journey. To do small things, risky things, with great love. Amen.

Sermon July 25, 2010

2010-07-26T14:45:00.001-04:00

Luke 10:1-11,16-17

After this the LORD appointed 70 others and sent them on ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever house you enter, first say “Peace to this house!” 6And if any one is there who shares in peace, your peace shall will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you. 7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them “The kingdom of God has come near to you”. 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into the streets and say 11”even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.” Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.

16Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me. 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Perhaps some of you know the book, Marvin K Mooney, will you please go now- that I talked about with the children. In it, as you heard, Marvin K Mooney is to go—somewhere. We don’t quite know where- but the time for going is NOW-
In this section of the Gospel according to Luke , Jesus is sending some 70 people out—apparently for the, the time is now as well. These are 70, besides the 12 disciples. So the Jesus movement has grown. It’s sort of a mission trip writ large. The mission team went out earlier this morning, with 3 vans, and lots of people, and a huge list, and many, many months of planning and preparation. It was necessary, to do all that planning. With that many people, you need to make sure all the documents are in order, there is food enough, water enough, bathroom stops along the way, band aids, medicines, games for the car, Bibles, music- Kleenex, sunscreen, bugspray, Twizzlers, you name it, I’m sure it got brought along.
But when Jesus sends out the 70 (or 72, some versions say) they don’t have a packing list. They don’t have an itinerary. They don’t even have a map, or a gps, or a AAA trip-tik, or even a plan that we know of. Jesus seems to give them, in fact, a sort of anti-list- a list of what not to bring- no bags, no purse, no extra sandals. No money, no food, no juice boxes or water bottles. They are not to greet any one along the way. (meaning, they are not to hang out with friends, but are to get on their way, like Marvin K.) They are to make their way through Galilee, proclaiming “The kingdom of God has come near”
Would any of us travel like that? Suppose we started out- no extra gas, no cash, no credit card, no water or food, no toothbrush or spare socks….would we dare to do that? I sure wouldn’t. But that’s just what the disciples did-
In other places in the Gospels, we are told things like this. “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear…strive first for the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Same idea- no packing list. Just proclaiming “The kingdom of God has come near to you. Peace be to you. God’s grace is present among us”
And listen to the description- “I am sending you out as lambs among wolves…” Note that in that anti-list that Jesus gave the travelers, there are also no weapons for defense- not even a stick or a staff- Sounds great, huh? How many of you would sign up for that?
But that is just what you signed up for—every day of your life—or, rather, what your parents signed you up for—long ago, or not so long ago, in your baptism. In the waters of baptism, God claimed you as one of God’s own. And God called you- at that time, and every day since.
As part of my seminary education, I did an internship as a chaplain at Northside Hospital in Atlanta. I have never, ever, felt so unprepared for anything in my life—unless it was parenthood. And I have to say I was probably too dumb, 25 years ago, to realize what I was getting myself into. This time, I knew better- or at least I thought I did. I knew there would be death, and grief. I knew it would be hard to stand at someone’s bedside, to comfort the grieving families, to be the one who had to sit with the body, or help the husband work through a careplan to place his wife of 57 years in assisted living. I knew all that…I thought. But I gotta tell you, at times it felt like I was the lamb, and the whole system was the wolves- the death, the disease, the despair that has gotten into people, the system that conspires against people getting the medical help they really need, the poverty, the sin, the bad decisions and addictions that have landed people in the hospital--
And I tell you this not because I think my life is harder than any of yours-but because I know you all have times when you feel like the lamb…and the world looks like a circle of hungry wolves, about to pounce…maybe those wolves are illness, or unemployment, declining health and capabilities, or an estrangement in the family….maybe those wolves are the culture, grabbing at you to make choices and do things you don’t want to do-
But to go out, with no baggage or weapons, as a lamb before wolves- this is what Christ calls us to—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who courageously stood up to Nazi Germany, wrote “When Christ calls a person, he bids that one come and die” Whoah…so its no wonder, then, that in this story it is not the calling of the 70, but the sending of the 70… I wonder about this story-
Did Jesus push them out the door? Did he give them a slap on the back, between the shoulder blades, to get the 70 going? Was he like the jump sergeant in the airplane to the airmen, yelling “Go, Go Go!” The story tells us Jesus sent them 70 ahead of Him. I have read this story many, many times, but that little bit jumped out at me- they were going,. .But Jesus was coming right behind them…
So when you are sent, you can rest in the assurance that Jesus is coming right behind you—wherever you are sent—to work, to school, to the gas station or the grocery store, to your ailing loved ones in the nursing home, to the mission fields of Pittsburgh, to the people down the street….
We also read that the 70 were to say “Peace” to everyone- to the ones who welcomed them, and to the ones who rejected them. They are not to make a judgment- that is God’s own doing. I have a friend, a fellow pastor, who says of people he meets in life “Love ‘em all- let God sort it out.” When we meet people, no matter how they treat us, we are to say “The kingdom of God has come near to you” That’s it—no threats, no frowny faces, no matter how they receive us and our news. Peace. We are to say to everyone, even the ones who reject us, “the kingdom of God has come near.” Earlier in the Gospel, Jesus was rejected- and the disciples want to call fire down upon the cities- but Jesus says the disciples are to say, even to them, “the kingdom of God has come near…”
And what do we read at the end of their journey? They returned – not with souvenirs, or an awesome tan, or calluses on their hands, but- with joy! Where do you have joy in your life? Where do other see joy in you? An old saying is that Joy means: putting Jesus first, Others next, yourself last—is that what these 70 did? Is that how they found their joy?
We don’t know if Marvin K Mooney experienced joy on his journey. What we do know is this: the time had come, so Marvin went. And, like the 70 Jesus sent, Marvin K Mooney had no packing list—no map, no extra sandals, no worrying about what to eat.
Later in the gospel of Luke, Jesus asks the disciples “When I sent you out without a purse, did you lack anything?” “No, not a thing,” the disciples answer. Sent out, not on a glamorous trip, not on a photo opportunity, news worthy mission trip, but as lambs before wolves. But look what these 70 carry- peace- and the great good news- “the kingdom of God has come near.” This is what the Christian life looks like. This is what we are all sent to do. May God strengthen us, and bless us in this journey. Amen

Psalm 46:1-7, 10-11
1God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
10“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
11The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

I, Legion Sermon July 18, 2010

2010-07-20T07:15:00.001-04:00

Psalm 42
1As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
4These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

Luke 8:26-39
26Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. 27As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— 29for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) 30Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. 31They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. 32Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. 34When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. 35Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. 36Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. 37Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. 38The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39“Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. The writer of the Gospel of Luke is no Shakespeare, but he does tell quite a story, huh? A dramatic one, with demon possession, and pigs hurtling over a cliff, a healing and restoration- and also fear and suspicion and unbelief.

Just prior to this, Jesus and the disciples have been out on the lake of Galilee. A storm had come up, and Jesus had silenced the water and wind. The disciples were dumbfounded: they asked themselves “Who is this, that he commands even the winds and water, and they obey him?”
And then they all head over to the other side of the lake, the area known as the Decapolis- the 10 cities. This is Gentile territory. This is the only time in Luke that Jesus goes into Gentile territory. You know, the other guys, the unclean people, the “nations”. Now remember, the disciples have just asked the question “who is this” about Jesus.

But as soon as Jesus steps out of the boat, out onto that foreign shore, he is met by a man who knows who he is—or, at least, the demons possessing the man know- they call him Jesus, meaning “One who saves.” And they know who He is “Son of the Most High God”. In biblical times, and even now, to a certain extent, knowing someone’s name, and using it, was powerful- it meant you knew somebody, deeply—and it was also thought that if you knew someone’s name, you had power over them. This is part of what is going on in the commandment, “Thou shalt not use the Lord’s name in vain”- because using someone’s name, and especially Gods name, is serious, powerful business.
The man runs to Jesus, and bows down, and cries out in a great loud voice. We are told a very few details about this man- he has not worn clothes in years, he has been living among the tombs, he is possessed by demons. Jesus has stepped out of the boat, into the frying pan, it seems. The man is, in rabbinical law, about as unclean as one could get—not in his right mind, not wearing clothes, living among the dead—all taboos according to Levitical law—and a Gentile, an unclean foreigner to boot! What was Jesus even thinking, going to this side of the lake?
He was going there to heal—for we are told he commanded the demons to leave the man. And then Jesus asks the man’s name.

And this, I think, is one of the saddest things in this story. The man doesn’t answer his name, doesn’t even say “I am one possessed”, even “I used to be…”. When asked his name, what he answers is this: “Legion”. That is, a multitude.
What is so heartbreaking about this, is that the man is so bound by his ills, his demons, that he can’t even give his name. He has ceased being his self. It is as if Jesus had asked him “what’s wrong?” and the man had said “everything”. Or as if, one of us, meeting someone, would answer the question “who are you” with “I am cancer, or I am Multiple Sclerosis, or I am unemployed, or I am alcoholism.”
This is a story about identity. It is about who Jesus is. The demons know it, even if the disciples don’t get it. AND it is about the man’s identity—he has none—he is no one—he has stopped being himself. Jesus heals him, and saves him (because in Greek the two words are the same) and restores him to wholeness.
Ellen was a Christian, and an alcoholic. We like to think that the two are mutually exclusive. But that is not so. And Ellen began to live into sobriety. And she began going to AA meetings. And, as all AA meetings begin, hers began with the introductions. “Hi, My name is Ellen. I am an alcoholic.” And the group would respond “Hi, Ellen”. But as she grew in her sobriety, and in her faith journey, she began to see she was more than that. And so she began, timidly at first, to go to her meetings, and say “Hi. My name is Ellen, I am an alcoholic….and I am a child of God.”
In her journey towards health, Ellen knew that an alcoholic was not all that she was. She began to regain her true identity.

The man at the side of the lake, running out of the graveyard, is both saved and healed: he is restored to his right mind, he is clothed, and he is sitting at the feet of his Lord and Master, Jesus. He is not his possession, his demons, his illness. He has his rightful identity again. .He is a child of God.
But what is the reaction of his neighbors? There it is, in one small sentence: “they were afraid.” (v35) These were the people who had chained and bound him, tried to protect him, tried to take care of him. Surely, along the way, they had hoped for a cure for him, prayed for him to get better. But we also think, “better the devil you know than the devil you don’t”.
The text tells us the people are afraid—the swineherds who had seen the demons leave the man, had gone and told what they had seen. The neighbors, who have heard the report, go out by the lake, to see if what they had heard was true….and it was. The man is healed, he is saved, he is restored.
And they are afraid. So much so, that they want Jesus to leave. To get in his boat and get out of town. Pronto.
And we shouldn’t be surprised. This is how Jesus started his ministry- remember? When Jesus went to his hometown, Nazareth, and takes down the scroll, and reads and then teaches in the synagogue- his own home town people, want to throw him off a cliff.
Because change is scary. Change upsets the apple cart. We may not entirely like the way things are, but at least we’re used to it.
But the good news in Jesus Christ changes things—and it changes us. If you look in your bulletin, you will see some headings “We Hear The Word” and later, “We Respond to the Word”. Hearing the Word of God, we are called to respond—this life giving, this healing, this saving, is so amazing—what will we do?
The man in the story, healed, restored- knows what he wants to do- follow Jesus. He begs Jesus to be allowed to follow him. But Jesus gives him an even harder task.
So the man goes, proclaiming- preaching--. And the words here are very understated for a life healed and restored: just- “so he went.”

“So he went away, proclaiming how much Jesus had done for him”

Two weeks ago, we heard the text from Galatians: “For freedom Christ has set you free” and we talked about freedom FROM and Freedom FOR- the man in this story has been freed FROM his demons- what is he now FREE FOR?- what will he do with his freedom? There used to be a number of commercials on tv, asking the winners of the game “Now that you’ve won the Superbowl, what are you going to do? I’m going to Disneyworld! The winners would shout.

Now that you’ve been saved, been healed by Jesus, what are you going to do?
What are you going to do- what are we going to do, as a saved, forgiven, healed people? As a church called to tell of all the greatness of God?

Perhaps the people in the Decapolis need, not Jesus, but the living testimony of the man who has been healed and restored. Perhaps they need to see, to live with, the man who had been formerly known as “Legion”. If the man were to leave, how easy it would be for his neighbors to revert to the status quo. With the man constantly among them, renewed in body, mind and spirit, restored to his true identity, they must reckon with God’s determined action for health and life. Perhaps Jesus is bequeathing to him—and to them—the authority and responsibility to effect communal change to those in the community who have felt and witnessed Jesus’ presence and power
In her book, Christianity for the Rest of Us, Diana Butler Bass has looked at mainline churches that are alive and healthy and thriving. One of the congregations she studied was the Church of the Redeemer, in New Haven, Connecticut. In the shadow of Yale Divinity School, the church was a model of Yankee restraint and understatement. But an amazing thing began to happen when people began to give their testimony. Now, to many of us, THAT sounds scary. But the pastor, Rev. Lillian Daniels, says this: “Our church’s practice is giving testimony, having people talk about their experience of God. We didn’t invent it. It was in the early church” and the Rev Daniels goes on to say “Words are like an earthquake.”
In the seventeenth century, New England Puritans elevated testimony to dramatic democratic expression. They required anyone seeking church membership—a coveted status in New England Society—to be able to testify publicly to the works of God in his or her life. In those days, however, the Puritans used testimony as a way of fitting people into the roles that had already been decided for them. Now, testimony is, as Rev Daniels puts it “who we are and who we are becoming.”
If you look at your bulletin, you will notice that there is one more heading “We Bear the Word into the World.” We are called to bear the word into the world, and into our own corner of the world. In Lodi, we have been studying the 6 Great Ends of the Church- the very first one is “The Proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation (the healing) of humankind.”
This is our response- we are called to tell “how much Jesus has done for us,” to talk about who and what Jesus is calling us to be, as people and as a faith community, to live a life that bears witness to God’s intention for healing and wholeness for all. Now, I want us all to look back at the text again—in v 37, Jesus gets into the boat and returns. Returns to his home. So what we are asked to do is no different than what Jesus himself did—went back home, and talked about the goodness of God.
Now, perhaps that sounds scary—and, I admit, going back to your family, and your hometown, and the people who knew you before, is scary- telling them of Gods great love is hard. But when we are changed by the Gospel, people can’t help but notice. When we are saved and healed, restored to wholeness, people will not always be happy—they might be afraid. But it is what we are called to do, in word, and deed. Amen.

Awesome Churches

2010-06-29T15:34:00.005-04:00

"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus" Paul writes to the church gathered in Corinth. Pastor Jim and I say the same thing about both Hector and Lodi. We have had some wonderful, grace filled worship these past few weeks. The Youth led worship at Lodi on the 13th- wrote a play linking the Old Testament prophet Elijah to the current day situation in the Gulf, led the prayers and confession, chose the hymns, in short, did a wonderful job leading us in worship. Same thing in Hector the following week- excellent choice of a skit about the banquet in the kingdom (umm, Queen-dom!) of God, leading worship- especially inviting other people (younger and older) to take part in the worship skit-which they did! Church is one of the few intergenerational places in our culture today- it was awesome, and so are all the youth in each church who helped make it so! This past week, we had songs from the Caribbean (Halle, Halle), a South American hymn, a Psalm sung to an Early American tune with words by Michael Morgan, a confession from South Africa, and a worship song with whirled vacuum cleaner tubes, water goblets, organ and voices- sung and arranged and offered as praise by many of our church- I give thanks to my God always for you!

Mother's Day

2010-05-10T14:42:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was Mother's Day. It is a day laden with meaning, layered with baggage, a day causing grief and guilt and joy. It is also not a church day or celebration, rather it is a civil (and some would say morphed into a commercial enterprise in a typically Americamn way). Julia Ward Howe wrote a Mother's Day Proclamation in 1870, responding to the carnage and devastation of the civil war. Here is part of it:

From the bosom of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says: "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."

Not exactly FTD and Hallmark, is it? But it is also based on a view that women were more civilized, and had a civilising effect on society as a whole, and on men in general.

The prophet Isiaih refers to God as like a nursing mother: "Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for teh child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you." (Isaiah 49:15. Paul describes himself as a woman in labor in Galatians 4:19. "My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you...."

I do not want ever to underestimate the work and sacrifice of mothers (and fathers). But I also do not want to, and do not want the church to, inflict pain on those who for whatever reasons are not parents, or for whom relationships with mothers are strained, hurtful, or absent. I do hope that we can see God as a model for parenting, and open up the images to include not just biological mothers, or even women who act as mothers to us, but all people (regardles of gender and circumstance) who show nurture and love to us.

4th Sunday of Easter

2010-04-25T12:47:00.001-04:00

Sermon 4th Sunday of Easter April 25, 2010 Nancy Meehan Yao

Acts 9:36-43
36Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. 37At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. 38Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, “Please come to us without delay.” 39So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. 40Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, “Tabitha, get up.” Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. 41He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. 42This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

I love this story. I love it because Dorcas is described using the feminine form of the word for “disciple”. And to the people who say that women did not have leadership roles in the early church, who say that women should not preach or teach, I say “have you met Dorcas?”

I love this story because it reminds me of my grandmother, who was widowed at a young age, and worked in the shirt factories in Troy, bent over a sewing machine all day, and then came home and sewed for her 11 grandchildren. She made my prom dress—I still have some of that fabric, made into a quilt. So I know what it is when someone sews for you out of love.

I love this story because it is so well crafted- only 6 verses, and yet the whole story is told.

I love this story because it reminds us of so many other stories- it reminds us of Elijah and the son of the widow of Nain, how that boy was restored to life, and it reminds us of the story of Elisha, in 2 Kings, bringing back the son of the Shunammite woman. It reminds us of Jesus, and the story of Jairus’ daughter. Remember, Jairus’ daughter had died, and Jesus went in to her, saying to Jairus’ “do not doubt, only believe” - and then Jesus took the girls’ hand, and said Talitha, cumi- that is, little girl, get up- and she did. It reminds us of Lazarus, restored to life, coming out of the tomb after three days. And it reminds us especially of Jesus, and his resurrection. In fact, the same word is used of Dorcas as is Jesus- that she was “raised up” .

I love this story because it gives me hope—

Anne Lamott writes about being a recovering addict and alcoholic in San Francisco. Newly in recovery, she was too skittery to be around people- and yet she heard these voices—these gorgeous, beautiful voices, from the windows of a church near where she lived—a Presbyterian church, I might add. And she was so shaky, so near to death, that she could not bring herself to go in. She would stand outside and listen, at first. And then, gradually, she eased in to the back, to sit on a folding chair- but only for the music- and she would leave before she had to talk to anybody else- the back row is good for a quick get away like that. But, eventually, she began to stay. And when, as a recovering alcoholic, she announced that she was pregnant, that she was about to be an unwed mother, the community surrounded her with love. These women, many of them widows and unwed mothers,. Many of them who knew about sorrow, with children in jail, or children who were alcoholics and addicts themselves, embraced her with love. And then, like Dorcas, “they devoted themselves to charity and good works.” These women who had so little would hug her- and slip some money into her pockets. Stealthily- without saying anything. One woman, who couldn’t afford any more, would save up her change, and put it in plastic baggies, and tie it tight with a twist tie, and give it to Anne. Anne writes that even after she began to be doing better, to begin making money with her writing, to be longer and longer in recovery, they would still slip her change in little twist tie baggies. Because it was what they could do. It was hope for Anne, and the baby, bound up in little packages.

But here’s what I struggle with. Dorcas, restored to life, will eventually die. And I know that there are people here today who have loved ones who have died, or who are ill. What do we do with this story? How are we to understand it- are we to think that miracles happened only in the old days, and the age of miracles has closed?

This story is written, in part, to show that even though Jesus has ascended, even though Jesus is no longer on earth, that miracles still happen. This story is about the power of God for restoration and life.

Earlier this morning, we read Psalm 23 all together. This Psalm is used often at funeral services. In fact, when families don’t know what to choose, don’t know any other scripture; this is the one they pick. “Yeah tho I walk thru the valley of the shadow of death” its says “I will fear no evil”. I will not fear evil for thou art with me, in the words of the Kings James version. I will not fear evil because Jesus has won a decisive victory over sin and death. Death does not have the last word.

The church stands at the intersection of memory and hope. We remember the stories- the stories of Dorcas, and Lazarus, and Jesus. And we tell those stories. When we baptized little Kyle Malecki two weeks ago, we said “you do not know these stories yet. But we will tell them to you until they are your own”. I take that pledge very seriously.

Last week we talked about vocation, as what God calls you to do. For Dorcas, God called her to show the love of God by caring for others, by sewing clothes for the widows. For the widow at Anne Lamott’s church, God’s love was shown in helping an unwed mother, and in singing and telling those stories. For us, the church, part of our vocation is to tell these stories- to ourselves, and to the next generations. To tell the stories of Dorcas, who devoted herself to charity, and the Good Shepherd, who leads us through the valley of the shadow of death. To speak of our memories, of where we have seen God at work, bringing life, and to speak of our hope, in Jesus Christ.

We remember those we love, and those we have lost, we remember the story of Dorcas, but we also remember Christ- who overcame sin and death for us. We remember the 23rd Psalm- and we look forward in hope to the one who leads us in the paths of righteousness, the one who is The Good News himself.

The story of Dorcas is a sign to us. A sign of hope. A sign that in Christ, death does not have the final word. We do walk thru the valley of the shadow of death, but we do not have fear. Because Christ has died, and rose, and brings new life. Alleluia- Amen.

Earth Day

2010-04-22T09:49:00.003-04:00

"The Earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein" says Psalm 24. Today is the 40th observance of Earth Day. Is the world, the ecology, in a better place than it was 40 years ago? Have we at least been able to slow down the spiral of pollution and degradation? God created the world good. Humans are to be caretakers of the creation. The Study Confession of the PCUSA teaches us this:
Question 22. What do you understand by God's providence?
That God not only preserves the world, but also continually attends to it, ruling and sustaining it with wise and benevolent care. God is concerned for every creature: "The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand, you satisfy the desire of every living thing" (Ps. 145:15).
We are to be caretakers with God of God's creation. We, as humans, are to nurture it and sustain it, in the way that God sustains and nurtures us.

Often people think there is a divide between ecology and the church. The PCUSA has long affirmed caring for creation as a mandate from God.
Information may be found at: http://www.presbyearthcare.org/

3rd Sunday of Easter

2010-04-18T12:06:00.000-04:00

3rd Sunday of Easter April 19 2010 Nancy Meehan Yao

Revelation 5:11-14 p
11Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

John 21:1-18 p
21After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. 4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off. 9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

What do you do, when your whole world has been turned upside down? What do you do, when all that you thought that you knew, all that you trusted in, has turned out to be different than you had planned? What do you do when you are so wracked by guilt and grief and confusion that you can barely breathe, much less raise your head?

Well, if you are Peter, you go fishing. Now this is not a leisurely day out on the lake in a boat. No, this is Peter, leaving Jerusalem, going back to the only thing he knows. He goes back to Galilee, his home. Because, as Robert Frost puts it, “Home is the place, where, when you go there, they have to take you in.”

Peter goes home and goes back to the only work he knows- fishing. Jesus has appeared to the disciples 3 times by now—first, to Mary, in the garden. Peter was there, saw the empty tomb, and went back to stay with the other disciples that morning. And then, in that locked room, Jesus appeared to the disciples two more times- saying “Peace. Shalom”.

But my guess is that Peter was not feeling peace. Remember, he denied Jesus three times—just a few hours after saying he would never deny him. And while Peter knows of the resurrection, has seen Jesus in that locked room, knows of the Good News, perhaps Peter doesn’t quite believe it is for him. Because Peter denied knowing Jesus not once, but three times. Peter was passionate in his love for Jesus, but denied him…..

And here he is, fishing—with no success. He has gone home, gone back to the family fishing business, and he is a failure at this as well- fished all night, sweaty and tired, and to pour salt on the wound, some yahoo on the beach yells out to him, in a way that leaves no doubt as to what the answer is: “Children, you have no fish, have you?”

But that voice turns out to be Jesus. And Peter, ever impetuous, ever dashing off in excitement, puts his clothes back on, jumps in the water, and swims towards the beach, where Jesus is.

Now, Peter has seen the empty tomb, has seen Jesus in that locked room- but we have no recorded conversation between him and Jesus since Peter denied him. So Peter, while eager to see Jesus, is also probably wracked with guilt and grief and fear…..because Jesus has risen, is there, with them…..what will Jesus say to Peter? What will Peter say to Jesus? What could he possibly say?

But, at first, it seems Jesus doesn’t say anything. Oh, he tells them to throw their net out on the other side of the boat, and he tells the fishermen to bring in some of the catch, and he feeds them. No questions asked, no discussions, no finger pointing or blame. Like the father in the story of the Prodigal Son, there isn’t even time for any apologies or explanations. Breakfast is ready! Come and eat!

And after breakfast, the time Peter has longed for, and has dreaded, is here. Jesus and Peter talk. Again, Peter doesn’t get a chance to say his well rehearsed apology and confession speech. Jesus, instead, gives him his orders, his work.

Feed my lambs, Peter. Tend my sheep- take care of them. Feed my sheep. Just a few short weeks ago, Jesus had knelt down, in that upper room, to wash the disciples feet. “I am among you as one who serves.” Here, Jesus has just fed and served the disciples. And Peter is to follow his example.

But in the midst of giving him his work orders, Jesus asks Simon Peter awkward but necessary questions.

Simon, do you love me? Three times, Jesus asks him this—to the point that Peter is hurt- Yes, Lord, you know I love you.

Now, the three times Jesus asks this question, to the point that Peter’s feelings are hurt, is seen as significant. Remember Peter denied Jesus three times. And in the first century society, saying something 3 times made it so—a man could divorce his wife or sell property by saying out loud, in public, something 3 times—

So Jesus has reversed Peter’s denial of him. And woven in are the things that Peter will now start doing. After every question and answer, are Jesus’ instructions. Peter is now to live a new life—“feed my lambs”.

In fancy theological terms, this is called “justification and vocation.” That is, Peter is now made right—forgiven, cleansed, made whole again. In his own way, he is restored to life. He can live again, breathe again, hold up his head again. And so what is he going to do next? Not go to Disneyworld,--that would be Vacation-- but live a life following Jesus. That will be his VOcation.

The word vocation comes from the Latin “vocare” meaning called out—and we talk about it that way, saying someone has a calling—and we also say, usually, that vocation is the work that you do.

But I want us to think of it less of work, a profession, and more of a way of being. Vocation is the way that people often talk about their profession, but it is also the way the church has always talked about people who follow Jesus. In the monastic tradition, monks and nuns all have work to do. They might be farmers, or wine makers, or dog trainers, like the Monks of New Skete, or scholars and writers. But when the chapel bell rings, they stop what ever work they are doing, put down the rake, put down the pen, and go off to worship and prayer. Because, they feel, that that is their true vocation. To follow Jesus and to worship him.

Worthy is the Lamb we heard from the Revelation text this morning. Worthy is the Lamb to receive blessing and honor. All creation, every creature in heaven and on earth joins in this singing. And so do we- it is our vocation, too.

But that vocation, that call, shapes our whole life. So that we also are called to feed others, to tend lambs, to feed sheep.

Peter might have stayed in Galilee, fishing, and feeding people with his fish. He had been told, after all, by Jesus, “to feed my sheep.” And there was no end to hunger and poverty in Galilee. But Peter went on to Jerusalem, and was the founder of the church there. The early church lived in community, worshipping together, sharing what they had, taking care of the poor, healing the sick, and growing in number day by day.

“Follow me” Jesus says to Peter. Follow me, Jesus says to us. And this is the way it truly is- we, who have been forgiven, we who have been claimed by God and forgiven by God in Jesus Christ, we who have been washed in the water and fed at the Table, we are called by God, and we are called out by God. This is the way it truly is- we respond with our whole lives to the grace that first came to us. Vocation always follows justification- we respond to God, who first claimed us. Gratitude is the response to grace. That is our true vocation—to follow Jesus, to follow in the ways of Jesus, the Lamb who was slaughtered for us, to follow Jesus, the ruler of creation, who shows up on the beach to cook his friends breakfast, and says to us: Follow me.