Christmas Day

December 25, 2011

Isaiah 52:7-10           Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)                      John 1:1-14               Psalm 98

Last night at our Christmas Eve Celebration we read the story of the angel announcing the birth of the Christ Child to the shepherds.  The manger scene we know and love with Mary and Joseph, the baby Jesus in a manger, the three wise men, the shepherds, and the animals is the combination of two biblical accounts of Christ’s birth. 

In Luke, the shepherds heard the news “and the glory of the Lord shone around them.”  The shepherds go to see the sign that the angel tells them represents their hope for the future – “a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.”  It is in Matthew that we learn of the Magi, or the three wise men, who came searching for the new king: 

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage (Matthew 2:1-2).   

Notice that light ties these two stories together.  When the shepherds learn of Christ’s birth, “The glory of the Lord shone about them.”  And, when Christ was born, three Magi (from a tribe of priests in Persia) follow a star knowing it will lead them to a newborn king.   

            With these stories in mind, then, let’s look at how John begins his Gospel:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.  

Within this text are the references to light.  John begins his Gospel by reminding us that Christ was always a part of God and creation and that Christ is the source of life and light.  Christ is the light that shines in the darkness. 

The good news we celebrate today is that God did become flesh in the form of Jesus.  John says, “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.”  We have seen his glory. 

Christ’s love is the light that shines in the dark times in our lives and in the world.  Christ is that light that offers hope and comfort in the midst of pain and suffering.  There is a great deal of darkness in the world we live in, and there are times in our lives when we gaze into the darkness.  Yet in the midst of the darkness, Christ is the light that shines and offers us the promise of new life.  The challenge is to turn our attention away from the darkness and gaze into the light.   

John reminds us that the Word was already in the world; “yet the world did not know him.”  How many times have you been upset or worried and had a friend – or even stranger, offer you a kind word, the word you needed to lift your spirits?  I have found in some of the more troubled times in my life, I’ve been told what I needed to hear in the most unlikely places from the most unlikely people. 

A young woman arrived at the checkout just behind an older lady with a shopping cart full of items.  Noticing the young woman had only a couple items, the lady insisted she take her place in line.  After all, her minister had encouraged her in his sermon that week to look for opportunities to do something nice for someone else – a perfect stranger.  It wasn’t much, but the least she could do is let this young woman cut in line and not have to wait on her to empty her entire basket full as the checker scanned each item one at a time. 

Later, after checking out, the older woman arrived at her car only to see the young woman sitting in the car next to her crying.  She started to put her bags in the car and go on, but the urge to offer support was greater so she knocked on the window and asked what was wrong.

Through her tears, the young woman told her that when the lady had offered her, her place in line, it was the first nice thing anyone had done for her that week.  She was seven months pregnant when last week her baby had died and she delivered a still born.  In the parking lot, the two women cried and prayed together. 

The light of Christ can shine forth in some the most unlikely places from the most unlikely people.  I wonder how many times someone has done something nice for one of us and we have failed to notice it or dismissed it because we were focusing on the darkness and would not turn toward the light. 

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The Light of Christ serves as a beacon illuminating the path that leads us out of darkness into light, out of death into life.  Though Christ’s love is freely offered, it is up to us to turn toward the light and follow the path of discipleship that has been laid out before us. 

Let us pray.

Lord Christ, you offer to us light and life through your love.  Keep our hearts and minds turned toward you that we might be filled with your grace and not be overcome by darkness.  Help us nurture your light as we would care for a newborn baby, that your love might grow within us and our lives might shine forth your love to others.  We pray to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2011

Isaiah 52:7-10          Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)          John 1:1-14         Psalm 98

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Our Easter Vigil begins with a deacon or priest entering the nave singing, “The Light of Christ” and the people respond by singing, “Thanks be to God.”  It is a service of light that reminds us that the love of God brings light into what might otherwise be a dark and lonely world. 

Our lesson from Isaiah begins:  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness-- on them light has shined.” And it continues:

For a child has been born for us,

a son given to us;

authority rests upon his shoulders;

and he is named

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The light that casts out the darkness begins with the birth of a baby – the Christ Child whose birth was foretold about ten centuries before by the prophet Isaiah.

Our Christmas Story, the story from which we create the manger scene, comes from piecing together two different accounts of the birth of Jesus.  Matthew tells us of the three wise men, while tonight’s story from Luke tells us of the angel appearing to shepherds watching over their flock by night:

Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see-- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

As with the birth of any child, there is promise of what is to be.  Isaiah tells us what is to be:

            His authority shall grow continually,

and there shall be endless peace

for the throne of David and his kingdom.

He will establish and uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time onward and forevermore.

This sign of new life for the people of Israel is announced to the shepherds by an angel, “and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.” 

The shepherds were terrified – why?  Is it possible that we dream about living in the light, but we are comfortable living in the darkness?  The unfortunate answer to this question for many is yes.  To live in the light requires change, change in the very core of who we are.  It requires us to let go of who we are and open our hearts to the Christ Child – a child who needs to be nourished and fed, a child who needs our care. 

It isn’t easy taking care of a baby; it requires a great deal of sacrifice on our parts.  We must give up quite a lot to assume the responsibility of keeping the light of Christ shining in our souls.  It requires constant care and supervision; yet as we care for and nurture Christ in our lives, we find that Christ does, indeed, bring us peace. 

The peace that Isaiah promises, the peace that Christ will establish “with justice and with righteousness from this time onward and forevermore,” is a peace which will take time to mature as Christ changes each of us from the inside out. 

The light of Christ radiates out into the world and becomes brighter and brighter as we nourish and care for it within ourselves.  The promise of redemption that we celebrate tonight needs to begin tonight!  We would not fully understand the Gospels if we simply turned to Christ for the promise of life hereafter.  Christ offers us peace in this life – for as we remember tonight with this celebration of the birth of Jesus, God became flesh and dwelt among us. 

By becoming one of us, God made it clear to all that what God created was good and holy.  We are to celebrate our life on earth and make it holy by being the hands and feet of Christ in our world.  And it all begins on this evening when we view the Christ Child and take responsibility for ensuring that he grows strong and healthy.  It is a daily responsibility, yet it is one that offers us peace, not just at the end of our lives, but here and now. 

Let us pray.

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, open our hearts that we might allow you into our lives.  Help us to nourish our faith in you that your light might grow within us casting out the dark places in our souls and bursting forth into all our relationships that we might share your light with others and do our part to bring about your kingdom here on earth, as it is in heaven.  We pray to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

December 18, 2011

2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16            Canticle 15                Romans 16: 25-27       Luke 1: 26-38

Imagine, if you will, that your family is being held captive.  Yes, you are able to move about, to work, to live your life – but your country is occupied by a foreign government and has been for some time.  Then imagine being told this story of David – the legendary king who had built a united kingdom for the people of Israel – your people.  That same kingdom fell to the Babylonians.  Scholars believe this story from Samuel was written during this period.

So still in captivity your family hears the story of David deciding to build a home for God only to have God tell him no – God doesn’t want a home, for he moves about among the people.  God then says to David (through Nathan), “the LORD will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”

You hear this story and you know it isn’t true; David’s house has fallen to the Babylonians.  Your people are oppressed and your rights have been taken away; you must consider the possibility that God has deserted you.  Most, if not all of us, face this dilemma at one time or another.  Our world appears to be falling down around us and we feel alone, isolated, forgotten.  We experience these feelings when we are grieving as well as at other times in our lives.  Yet somehow, the people of Israel find comfort in hearing this story. 

As they consider the possibility that God has deserted them, the people of Israel then consider the possibility that God is present with them – even in the worst of times.  God rejects a home built of cedar because God cannot and will not be contained. God, instead, chooses to move about the people, God’s people.

We, too, can find hope that all is not lost and a new King from the house of David will arise.  What God has done in the past, God can do again.  From this story, arises the belief that a God will provide for us a messiah from among the descendants of King David. 

Fast forward then several centuries and the hope of a messiah is still alive.  The Angel Gabriel comes to Mary and says, “Greetings, favored one.  The Lord is with you.”  Mary is perplexed; she doesn’t know what to think about this greeting and this announcement.  Gabriel tells her that she is to give birth to Jesus, the Son of the Most High – the descendant of David who will “reign over the house of Jacob forever.” 

Mary is engaged, to a descendant of David, but doesn’t know how this could be – since she is not yet married.  Gabriel explains that nothing is impossible for God – so Mary says, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

The role of Mary in our story is a fascinating one.  A great deal has been written about her and the fact that God entered into the world as a baby is even mentioned in the Nicene Creed,written in the 4^th century and still said today.  “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God . . . by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.”

Mary realizes that she cannot bear the Christ child alone – to do it requires God.  She is the necessary part of this story for us to fully appreciate that God became flesh and blood and walked among us.  A lot is said of Christ being born into poverty, but I believe it more accurate to say Christ was born with humility.  You can’t be born into a more unassuming setting than a manger – but that’s a discussion for another time. 

The point in today’s readings from Luke, both the Gospel reading and the Song of Mary we read as our Psalm today, is that God comes to Mary who describes herself as God’s “lowly servant.”  Lowly does not speak of poverty but her station in life.  God comes to a woman who lives in a remote part of the kingdom and chooses her to give birth to the Christ Child.  She is humble and willingly accepts the responsibility of bearing and raising the Savior of the world – not exactly the part we give her in our Christmas Pageants, is it? 

The Song of Mary, or the Magnificat, as it is known, gives us a foretaste of what Christ promises in the Sermon on the Mount.  Listen:

[The Almighty] has mercy on those who fear him *
  in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
  he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
  and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
  and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
  for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
  to Abraham and his children for ever.

Jesus says the kingdom of God is for the poor, the lowly, the hungry – not the wealthy and the powerful. 

Embedded within today’s scriptures, then, is the message that when it comes to God’s interventions in the world, we should expect the unexpected.  Our world will be turned upside down in this season of Advent.  This is what we need to remember:  expect the unexpected.  Christ will bring release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind and the lowly will be lifted up.

Let us pray. 

Almighty and ever loving God, we praise you for your great mercy.  Help us to humble ourselves before you as Mary did answering your call to bear the light of Christ that we might lift up the lowly, fill the hungry with good things and come to the help of your children.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  

December 11, 2011

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11   Psalm 126     1 Thessalonians 5:16-24    John 1:6-8, 19-28

“May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.”  Amen.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.”  All four gospels tell us of John.  In Mark, we read last week of John the baptizer, in Matthew he is referred to as John the Baptist, and in Luke he is referred to as “John, the son of Zachariah.”  In the Gospel of John, we simply know him as John, the one sent by God to testify to the light – Jesus, the light of the world.  In all four gospels John plays an important part in preparing us for Christ’s coming, and in all four gospels he is clear about who he is and who he is not.

We might think of John as the spokesperson for Advent.  His sole purpose is to prepare the way for the Son of Man.  John says, “Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.”  As I said, John is clear about one thing – he is not the messiah.  Yet, the first half of what I just read is a particularly important statement for us to remember during this season of preparation: “Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me.”  At the same time we prepare for Christ’s arrival; Christ is already here in our midst – and yet we do not know him, we do not see him.

Over and over again I find this to be the case.  I’ve often found in my own little world when a kind word I need or a simple act of kindness on an otherwise dreadful day lifts my spirits.  A smile from the checker at the grocery store or a fellow shopper can remind me that I’m not alone.  We can think of these people as angels, or as who they are – the body of Christ in our world.  Holding the door open for someone, a smile and the slight nod of a head are ways in which we acknowledge others as children of God and bear witness to the light of Christ.  Christ is in our midst, every single day, and yet we often forget this fundamental fact.

We can think of ourselves as being like John – one preparing the way for our Lord.  The Pharisees wanted to know on whose authority John was baptizing people.  John never directly answered, but it was clear that his authority came from God.  He merely quoted from Isaiah, “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,” whose purpose was to prepare the way for our Lord.

What John is talking about is probably the first or second most uncomfortable topic for us Episcopalians:  evangelism.  In case you’re wondering the other topic that makes us squirm in our pews is money.  I think evangelism – sharing the Good News of Christ is more difficult for us because we tend to view theology as personal and we allow people to think differently from ourselves. 

Someone asked me this week, “What does your Church believe?” This is not a question that my seminary education prepared me to answer is 20 words or less – and I would be surprised if many of you would be prepared to answer it.  I dare say, however, that my Baptist friends could answer it without giving it a second thought.   They would, no doubt, speak of Jesus, judgment, and salvation – but that raises questions for many of us – doesn’t it?

Salvation from what?  God’s wrath, sin, injustice – or what?  I personally don’t tend to focus on eternal life and I don’t think that is the focus of many Episcopalians.  That’s a shame, really, because so many of the clever one-liners on church signs have to do with being saved from spending eternity in that fiery place.   Here are a few examples:

·                     Friends don’t let friends go to hell.

·                     If you can’t stand the heat you better make plans to avoid it.

·                     The wages of sin is death; repent before payday.

·                     Where death finds you, there eternity will keep you.

·                     Let us help you study for your final exam. 

·                     Ask about the ultimate life insurance policy, you pray as you go.

All of these have one thing is common – they present a theology based on living this life for the next.  What we believe and/or how we act will impact where we spend our eternity.

John was baptizing in preparation for Jesus' coming.  Jesus came to offer salvation to all, but I never once thought that Christ came selling the ultimate life insurance policy.  Instead, I think of Christ offering the type of salvation promised to us through the prophet Isaiah.

A careful reading of today’s lesson from Isaiah reveals the promise of salvation here and now – not at the end of time.  To quote from one commentary on today’s reading, “Isaiah challenges readers to name salvation as a quality of life here and now that reflects God’s desires for human community.[i]”  Our passage begins with the promise of good news to the oppressed, the broken hearted, freedom for those held captive, and comfort for those who mourn.  The Lord will “faithfully give them their recompense.”  God will make things right for them, and then, “Their 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.”

This is reminiscent of what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount found in the 5^th Chapter of Matthew:  “You are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).”  After saying Blessed are the poor in the spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry and thirsty, Jesus tell them that they are to be the light to all nations – they are to be the ones to spread God’s kingdom!

John was sent by God to testify to the light and the one who is to come is already among us.  Isaiah reminds us that we can find the light by simply turning our attention to the oppressed, the broken hearted, and those who are held captive by grief, by poverty, by loneliness, or any other source of discomfort.  John’s testimony to us – his evangelism is a cry to serve. 

So if you are one of the majority of Episcopalians who are not comfortable talking about evangelism, I suggest you simply focus on mission.  Mission requires us to turn our focus – the spotLIGHT, if you will, off of ourselves and on to others.  To testify to the light can be as simple as paying attention to a stressed out shopper and offering a kind word of acknowledgement, a greeting, or it might be in making that call to someone you know who needs to hear a friendly voice.  Giving food to those who are hungry is but one way that St. Andrew’s testifies to the light of Christ.

Mission and evangelism begin when we acknowledge we are not the one – that the one who is greater than us is coming, and we are here to testify to the light.

Let us pray.

Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ:  Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

December 4, 2011

Isaiah 40:1-11           Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13               2 Peter 3:8-15a                     Mark 1:1-8

I won’t asked for a show of hands, but how many of you noticed that we started our new church year last Sunday with a reading from the 13^th Chapter of Mark and today we began the second Sunday of our new year with the first eight verses?  Seems odd, doesn’t it? 

We are now in Year B of our lectionary in which the Gospel of Mark is our principle Gospel for our Sunday readings.  Yet, we began near the end of it, and then jump back to the beginning.  Next Sunday we’ll be reading from the Gospel of John.  Clearly our lectionary was not designed to take us through the gospels verse by verse – so just what are they leading us to discover, or remember this Advent Season? 

Advent is a season of preparation, the question is:  “preparation for what?”  The easy answer might be the birth of Christ, but that would only be partially correct. 

The end of the church year is the Season after Pentecost (often referred to as “Ordinary Time”).  In it we focus on growing in faith and we read about Jesus’ life and ministry.  As this past season drew to a close, we read multiple accounts of Jesus making references to the Day of Judgment.  Last Sunday you heard Father Tom read from Gospel of Mark of the “Son of Man coming in a cloud.”  That passage was a continuation of what we had been hearing from the Gospel of Matthew, yet it was an Advent lesson. 

Hearing on the first Sunday of Advent about the Son of Man coming reminds us that we not only preparing for the birth of Jesus, the messiah, God in the flesh.  We are also preparing for Christ’s return.  For us, then, our preparation for the arrival of the messiah is synonymous with our preparation for his return. 

Early Christians began preparing for Christ’s return almost immediately after his ascension.  They believed the second coming was imminent.  Yet after a generation of waiting, Christ had not returned.  People mocked them, much like those today who prophecy the impending apocalypse are ridiculed.  Nearly 2,000 years later, we continue to prepare for Christ's return. 

Second Peter was written to those who could not understand why Christ had not returned, it addressed this period of waiting.  Whether this letter was written by Peter immediately prior to his death or written by his followers as a tribute to Peter as many scholars believe is a subject of debate.  But what is not in question is the fact that this letter addresses the concerns of early Christians who were being mocked by people because Christ has not yet returned.    

Peter, or the author of this letter, makes two extremely important points in this passage.  First, he turns to Scripture, using Psalm 90 to make the point that God’s time is not our time.  Verse 4 of the 90^th Psalm says, “For a thousand years in your sight is like yesterday when it is past.”  Peter rephrases this and says, “Do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day.” 

That’s all well and good, but why?  Why did they – and why do we suffer so long, why doesn’t Christ come sooner?  The answer, according to Peter almost seems contradictory:  “The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you.”  So God’s patience is merciful, Peter continues:  “[God is] not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance.”

Here we have it!  God does not want anyone of us to perish, so God waits for us, God allows us time to see the error of our ways and repent.  Culturally, Americans tend to view the world as it relates to ourselves individually, us refers to you and me.  But the tribe of Israel understood that God, the shepherd of the people of Israel, is waiting for God’s people (the tribe of Israel) to return to him.  Yes, many people suffered and died as they have waited, but the tribe of Israel, God’s people, includes their ancestors, you and me, and those who have not yet been born.  Their view of the world is much broader than our own.

Thus, God is waiting on each of us to do our part to bring about God’s Kingdom.  As we do our part, then humanity is one step closer to realizing that new heaven and the new earth for which we are all created. 

Turning to today’s Gospel, we note it begins with a paraphrase from today’s opening passage from Second Isaiah.    Mark writes: 

As it is written in the prophet Isaiah,

"See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way;

the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

`Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight,'"

John the Baptist is the voice who cries out in the wilderness, he is not only beckoning us to prepare the way; he tells us what we need to do – ask for forgiveness and open our hearts for a baptism by the Holy Spirit! 

Looking more closely at the reading from Isaiah, we also note that Jesus is, for the people of Israel, the fulfillment of the prophecies and we learn that our God’s power is found in God’s mercy.  Listen:

O Zion, herald of good tidings;

lift up your voice with strength,

O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings,

lift it up, do not fear;

say to the cities of Judah,

"Here is your God!"

See, the Lord GOD comes with might,

and his arm rules for him;

his reward is with him,

and his recompense before him.

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;

he will gather the lambs in his arms,

and carry them in his bosom,

and gently lead the mother sheep.

We know that Christ is the Good Shepherd who will gently lead the mother sheep – who will gather us like lambs in his arms and carry us in his bosom.

Christ comes with power and might and uses this power to gather us unto him.  Christ’s love is reconciling.   John the Baptist tells us much the same thing – Christ is coming to baptize us with the Holy Spirit.  As with Isaiah, he reminds us of the importance of preparing ourselves – to make the path to our hearts straight, so that our sins do not serve as an impediment to the Holy Spirit working within our lives. 

Let us pray.

God of power and mercy, prepare our hearts, that we might receive your love unencumbered and share it freely with others.  Make us instruments of your grace that we might help bring about your Kingdom in this community.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

November 27, 2011

Mark 13:24-37

From generation to generation Israel experienced exile and occupation. The Egyptians, worshipers of Baal, and the Romans all made the Jewish people feel as if they were in a long, cold, dark winter. They waited for the Messiah like one waits for spring and summer. For over sixty years at every Passover celebration Simeon would hear, “Wait until next year; things will be better next year.” All through his life he yearned; yearned for the promise that he would see the Messiah. That he and his people would finally be out from under Roman repression; would be able to worship God freely; have their own country. He waited with anticipation that God would not leave him alone; that the promise of God would become flesh and blood. With aching feet and back, worn down by life, he hobbled to the temple wondering if he would ever, with his own eyes, see the Messiah. A hole was in his heart; and he questioned if it ever would be healed? 

A young girl named Mary wondered when her life would finally begin. Like so many girls in backwater Galilee, she yearned to sit with the married women in the synagogue instead of always being treated like a little girl. Mary is excited and scared all at once. She is excited for the day when her parents will introduce her to her husband. She is afraid life for her will always be filled with Roman soldiers carrying spears as they walk past her home. Every day she yearned; she yearned to see if a good husband, a home of her own, and a child to care for would fill the hole in her heart. She yearned for her future to finally begin.

In the Gospel we meet the disciples of Jesus, feeling dwarfed by the walls and pillars of the great temple, as they listened to the master’s words that soon the glory of God would explode into their lives. Jesus extols them to stay awake; to keep their eyes open. The presence of God that has always been felt in the majesty of the temple can also be experienced, Jesus says, in a tender branch sprouting forth a tiny green leaf. The Disciples had dreamt of this moment. After all their walking; all the wrestling matches with the Pharisees, and all their questioning, they finally reached Jerusalem. The reign of God, that they all had yearned for so long, could be beginning. It was too good to believe; could the hole that was within their hearts – the hole that first drove them to drop their fishing nets and follow Jesus – be filled by the one standing there in front of them?

These well-known stories from Scripture about Simeon, Mary, and the disciples have been told over and over. We’ve heard them many times before. But these stories are about events that took place in a far away land and in a far away time. They are stories about people far removed from our everyday life and experiences. After all the aging, Simeon never had to deal with Medicare; Mary’s underage and questionable pregnancy never landed her on Dr. Phil; and the disciples never dreamt that a sale on flat screen TV’s would cause more riots than the Romans. Do these stories, so far removed from us, have anything to say to us?

An elderly man goes to his doctor who sends him to a specialist, who then admits him in the hospital, from there he is taken to the nursing home “For rehabilitation,” they say. Finally at home again he can’t eat because of the medications he is on and grows weak, he goes back to the doctor, and the whole vicious circle begins again. During his seventh visit to our hospital in the past year I visit him and he tells me about trying to cope with losing his independence, losing his savings, losing his wife. Like Simeon he feels lost, alone, scared. He yearns not to be alone, he yearns for healing, and he yearns for a normal life. Like Simeon, he is a man of deep faith who finds God even within all his yearnings. In the darkness of his yearnings he is able to see the Light of the world.

The Labor and Delivery unit calls me; a patient had asked to see the chaplain. Entering her room I’m shocked to see an extremely young girl holding her newborn son. Filled with excitement and, I can see a little dread, she says we needed to talk. After talking for a while she shares that her pregnancy had severed the ties between her and her parents. She also tells me that her boyfriend wasn’t there to witness the birth of their son or to give her support because he was deer hunting. She began to yearn for reconciliation with her parents. She yearned that her boyfriend would be a good father. She yearned for a family that would love and support her. Like Mary, she was filled with excitement and worry and within all her yearnings she felt the presence of God. She allowed her yearnings to draw her closer to a God who would always love her.

Advent has always been my favorite season. In our church’s calendar it marks the beginning of the liturgical year – the beginning of our life as the church. I realize Advent can be a confusing time. After all, I’m wearing purple vestments and, here at St. Andrews, we didn’t sing the Gloria; both practices our church follows in Lent. Many can understand Advent as a sort of mini Lent, a time for repentance and examination. Even today’s Gospel reading filled with images of the end of the world would make anyone get their affairs in order. Did you notice that Jesus wasn’t telling us when the world would end; that’s only for God to know. Jesus asks the disciples, asks us, to open our eyes and see the presence of God that is all around us. To see God in waiting for the budding of leaves of summer; a symbol for the yearnings of our hearts. 

I love Advent because it is a season filled with yearning; and everyone knows about yearning. Simeon knew what it was to have to wait for the Savior just as the elderly man I met in the hospital knew what it was to yearn for better health and a return to independence. Mary, and the girl I visited in Labor and Delivery, both yearned for a fuller life filled with all its dangers and promises. Like all of us the disciples yearned for things to be different, things to be better.

We all yearn: be it for a piece of our favorite pie, even after Thanksgiving, for that beautiful dress, that new suit, or that new luxury car. We yearn for good health, for a visit from far away family. Many today yearn for a job, ways to make their money stretch further, a slow pace of life. We yearn to heal old wounds that have cut us off from one another. To be human is to yearn. During the Christmas season we are bombarded with the message that our yearnings for meaning, purpose, to love and be loved can only be filled by buying the newest electronic gadget, powerful new smart computer, glowing diamonds, or latest toy. It seems even Madison Avenue advertisers know everyone yearns.

Allow all the yearnings you have, especially in this season, to lead you to God. My prayer is that the age old message of Advent: the glowing candles of the wreath, the yearnings of Simeon and Mary, and the scarred words of scripture to “Prepare the way of the Lord” remind us that within our own yearnings we can see and experience the presence of God. For underneath every one of our yearnings, be they simple or great, is our yearning for God. Jesus asks us to stay awake and find the glory of God even in those moments of our yearnings. We all yearn; our hearts have a hole that only God can fill – and that is the message of Advent. Amen.

November 20, 2011

Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24      Psalm 95:1-7a          Ephesians 1:15-23  Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus tells those gathered how the Son of Man will come into glory, sit on the throne and “separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”  Sounds simple enough, but in that day and time sheep and goats were not so noticeably different as the ones we see on farms today.  Dr. Jim Dunkley, a professor at Sewanee noted that this parable is therefore similar to the parable of the Tares and the wheat, the one in which Jesus speaks of separating the wheat from the weeds. 

Being able to tell the good from the bad is not always easy for us to do.  Although Jesus does not begin this teaching by saying, “the kingdom of God is like . . .,” this is, none-the-less, a parable.  It is a story used to provide us instruction on how to live the life God intends for us to live. 

This past week I attended our diocesan clergy conference in which Phyllis Tickle, the author of over two dozen books and a recognized authority on religion in America, provided us three lectures on what she refers to as “The Great Emergence.”  During one of her lectures she spoke of people who have been wounded by the church.  As a hospice chaplain I have been noticing the number of patients who indicate they have grown up in the church but are not a member of church.  Very few of them request a chaplain visit.  In a community referred to as a “Christian Community” only 60% report having a church home or faith community.

It seems the church as whole has successfully taken the Good News of God’s love for us and used passages such as the one we heard this morning to drive people out of the church.  I’m not asked to see very many hospice patients, but lately it seems an increasing number have expressed concern about “organized religion.”  When pressed, one patient said he doesn’t like preachers who talk about our sins.  He is all too aware of his own.  

In today’s reading, we hear Jesus talking about separating the good from the bad, the sheep from the goats.  The good will be placed at the king’s right, a place of honor, but the bad will be placed on his left.  Then the king says “to those at his left hand ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’”

When I read this, I confess that my first thought is one of judgment.  As one who preaches about forgiveness and grace, it makes me uncomfortable – especially the part about the eternal fire.  If you are like me, you might miss the point Jesus is trying to teach us.  In this passage we hear twice what we are called to do: feed the hungry, give drink to those who thirst, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison.  The first time it is in reference to those who do what God wants; the second time in reference to those who do not. 

Both groups of people ask, “when was it that we saw you a stranger . . ., or naked . . .? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison . . .?”  And to each the king answers: “Truly I tell you, just as you did [or did not] it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did [or did not] it to me.”

I suspect that most of us have a tendency to hear this and feel a little bit guilty for the things we have left undone.  I also suspect that if we don’t feel even a little bit uncomfortable, we should.  Perhaps those feelings of guilt are the very feelings that motivate some preachers to focus on our sins and the importance of avoiding hell by accepting Jesus into our hearts – as if Jesus is a miracle cure for our guilt. 

Jesus does offer salvation, but without “amendment of life” as one of my Baptist friends would say – we have learned very little.  I remain convinced that Jesus was not attempting to scare us into doing the right thing, but rather using the language of his day to help people understand what God expects of us. 

Phyllis Tickle suggests that people who have been wounded, who have been judged by members of the church and people who speak negatively about organized religion need to hear the call of the scriptures to serve the community rather than support the structure of the church.  The emergent and emerging churches share this in common. 

We need to examine today’s scriptures asking the question: “What would God have us to do?” When we do the answer is simple:  feed the hungry, give drink to those who thirst, welcome strangers, clothe the naked, and visit the sick and those in prison.  This scripture teaches us to judge our actions, it need not be interpreted as telling us who will go to heaven and who will go to hell. 

The responsibility of Christ as a king sitting in judgment is just one of the images concerning a king's duties.  In Ezekiel we see the king as a shepherd.  The shepherd is God and in this passage, God promises to provide for the people a king to lead them.  It begins with God saying, “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.”  The people of Israel have been scattered, but God promises to bring them back together.

Then God says, “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.”  David is to be the King of Israel, a nation restored to favor with God.  

Today is Christ the King Sunday, and next Sunday is the beginning of Advent – the season is which we prepare for birth of Christ – a descendant of David – the promise that humanity will again be restored to God’s favor.  This is the message we need to communicate to those in our community who have been wounded by the church, who have been turned off by threats of eternal damnation.  Christ is here to restore us to wholeness, to bring us together.  And what does God expect of us?

The answer which mirrors today’s gospel can be found in Micah, “He 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 (Micah 6:8)?”

Let us pray.

Almighty and loving God, you are the giver of all gifts.  Help us to remember this always that we might share what we have with others, welcome strangers, and walk humbly with you.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

November 13, 2011

Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18  Psalm 90:1-8, (9-11), 12  1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Matthew 25:14-30

If today's readings don't make you uncomfortable - then you might want to re-read them.  Beginning with our lesson from Zephaniah, we are warned of the wrath of God.  In the Psalm we are reminded that all our sins are 'set before' God and when God is angry, 'all our days are gone.'

Paul's letter to the church in Thessalonica does offer hope, suggesting that if we are people of the light, if we are enlightened by our love of Christ, then we can 'put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God has destined us not for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.'  Yet, Paul even warns us that when people say: 'There is peace and security,' then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!'

Jesus tells us, 'For 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.'  These are not scriptures I turn to for comfort.

We began our worship today remembering in our Collect for the Day that the scriptures are for us to 'hear, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, [so] that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life.'

I dare say these scriptures are particularly difficult for many of the mainline protestant churches to examine and inwardly digest because we tend to focus on the Good News of Christ, the promise of salvation and we are not very comfortable talking about the wrath of God and fear of eternal damnation.

The prophet Zephaniah seems to leave us little room to talk about anything but the side of God that doesn't feel so good - God's anger.  Neither does the end of the parable of the talents, for the third slave, the one entrusted with only one talent who buried it for fear of losing his master's money - he was to be thrown into the outer darkness, 'where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Over and over again, we find the prophets preaching repentance, for the Lord's judgment will be harsh upon the people of Israel - UNLESS they repent.  Today's reading from Zephaniah is one of many such examples, and if we were to continue reading from that book, we would eventually get the promise that the nation of Israel will be restored and their enemies sufficiently punished IF the people repent.  The prophet is trying to prepare the people for The Day of Judgment.

Likewise, Jesus is speaking of that same day as he tells the parable of the talents.  Even though it is known as the parable of the talents, it is a warning to us to be prepared for Christ's return.  Today's Old Testament reading and today's Gospel reading share this in common.  So let's focus on what God expects of us rather than God's anger.  We can do this by looking more closely at our lesson from Matthew.

First, we need to recognize that Jesus is the Master who entrusts three slaves, or servants, with his talents.  The servants are members of the church, our church, entrusted by Christ with the talents we have received from God.

A talent is a sum of money believed to be about what a day laborer would make over the course of 15 years.  Jesus entrusts each of his servants with something of great value.  Each is given according to his or her ability, but even the one who receives only one talent is given a great responsibility to care for something of tremendous importance.

In the parable, the master is gone 'a long time,' which symbolizes the ascension of Christ to be the Father.  His return represents the Day of Judgment - and it is clearly a day of reckoning for the servants entrusted with the talents.  The first two servants are likely included in this story for comparison.  The third servant is the principle character here.

In that day and time, to bury the talent would have been considered responsible - equivalent to putting the money in a safe.  It was the safest route to take.  He did not spend any of it; he did not lose it; he simply put it somewhere safe and returned it in full.  Why, then, is the Master upset with this servant?  What is the message we are to take away from this parable?  Are we to fear the Judgment Day?

This story is one of the great paradoxical stories in the Bible.  This same parable that seems to evoke fear is teaching us that we are not to live our lives in fear.  The third servant is afraid of his master, so he hides the talent.  The other two take what they have been given and take risks with the master's money.  Think about it.  Anything they might do, except what the third servant does, is taking a risk of a bad trade, a bad loan by the bankers (without federal insurance guaranteeing the loan) - anything they do with the talents they have is risky.

So, what does Christ expect us to do?  Certainly not 'play it safe.'  Paul warns us that destruction will swiftly follow peace and security - suggesting Christians are not to get too uncomfortable.  In this parable, Christ is calling upon the church, upon us, to take risks.

When we think about this in terms of relationships with others and with God, it makes much more sense.  To love is to take risks.  We risk being hurt, yet if we never take that risk we are already in the 'outer darkness where there [is] weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Think of our talents as the love we share with God and the love we share with each other.  Now listen to this verse: 'For 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.'

Everyone of us has been hurt by someone we have loved, but if we live in fear, we banish ourselves.  Today's lessons are not about the Day of Judgment; God is not to be feared.  Rather, today's lessons are our call to share God's love with others.  

Let us pray.

God of grace and God of glory, we give thanks unto you for the love you have demonstrated to us over and over again.  You are the giver of all gifts and the source of all love.  Help us to use what you have entrusted to us that we might be instruments of your love in this community.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

November 6, 2011

Revelation 7:9-17           Psalm 34:1-10, 22             1 John 3:1-3            Matthew 5:1-12         

On this Sunday, our observance of All Saints Day, we celebrate the people who have gone before us and who served as examples to us.  We remember with joy the time that we spent with them and we remember some of the lessons they taught us.  For us they were gifts from God who made our lives better. 

Dictionary.com gives us four definitions of the word “saint.”  The first includes “any . . . person of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization.”  The apostles, Mary, mother of Jesus, and a host of Christian martyrs are at the top of that list. 

The second definition is “a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.”  Though some of those we remember today were virtuous and benevolent, most were simply people who played an important role in our lives.  The third definition is “a founder, sponsor, or patron, as of a movement or organization.”  St. Andrew fits the bill here, for he is our patron saint. 

It is the fourth definition that applies to most of the people we remember, “a designation applied by the members (in certain religious groups) to themselves.”  The Apostle Paul addresses the followers of Christ as Saints – even though they sometimes fought over trivial matters, made mistakes and hurt others.  Clearly, the definition of a saint, as used by St. Paul, is not “a person who led an exceptional holy life,” but rather it includes all who challenge us to be better people.  It is this fourth definition we find on dictionary.com that we use today as we remember our loved ones.

We do, however, remember their holiness, virtue, and/or benevolence towards us.  For in each of the people listed in our book of remembrance, we have been given a gift.  In one way or another, we have experienced the love that Christ shares with us through them.  Perhaps not all of them considered themselves Christians, but through them we have experienced God’s love.

Initially I found today’s epistle and gospel readings confusing because I couldn’t make the connection between the readings and All Saints Day that we are celebrating.  The first reading, I get.  Those gathered before the throne are from every tribe and every nation, they are dressed in white, and they represent those who have gone before us, those washed in the blood of Christ and therefore worthy to stand before the throne of our Lord. 

The reading from 1^st John, however seems to be about the world.  He writes: “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”  And the gospel reading is one of Christ’s teachings – the beginning of his Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, The Beatitudes.   How do these two scriptures relate to All Saints Sunday?

I turned to one of my commentaries and read an article by Dr. James Dunkly that helped me make the connection.  First, I was focusing on the wrong part of the Epistle.  In John’s first letter, he writes, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”

We are all children of God!  John also writes:  “And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.”  Just as those gathered before the throne have been washed in the blood of Christ, so, too, have all those who we remember today been purified by our hope found in Christ.

We remember them because they are all children of God and they touched our lives.  Whatever flaws they may have had, they have been washed clean and made pure by God whose love for us promises to make even the poor in spirit blessed.  The Beatitudes are important on multiple levels.

Not only do they remind us that God’s kingdom is for everyone, they remind us that everyone is made holy by our God.  To be blessed is to be in God’s favor, it is to experience the love of God in ways that extend beyond the reality of this world.  To be blessed is to know God is with us even in the midst of our grief, our pain, our hunger and our thirst for justice. 

We, too, are the saints of this church.  We have been given the task of caring for each other and reaching out to those in need.  Part of caring for the community of faith includes pooling our resources in order to pay our debts.  When we began the Caring for our Church Family Stewardship Campaign, we talked about the need to raise money to cover our mortgage payments for the next couple of years. 

The vestry has declared December 4^th Jubilee Sunday.  That’s just four Sundays from now, so I was asked to explain it to you today.  In ancient Jewish time, a Jubilee Year was to be observed every seven years.  People who needed money to pay their debts could sell their land; they could even hire themselves to others as slaves, but it was understood that in the Jubilee year, land would be returned to its original owner and slaves would be set free.  In other words, debts were to be forgiven in a Jubilee year. 

On our Jubilee Sunday we are asking everyone to make a one-time gift toward freeing us of the worry of where we will get the money to make our mortgage payments over the next couple of years.  Our mortgage payments are close to $1,500 every month, so we need to raise between $35,000 to $40,000. 

The vestry has faith that the growth we’ve experienced over the past couple of years will continue and we will be in a much better place to conduct a capital fund drive.  We also pray the economy will be better.  So over the next few weeks we ask you to pray about how and what you might be able to give on Jubilee Sunday so that our focus will not be on the mortgage but on doing what God is calling us to do in this community. 

We are the saints of St. Andrew’s and just as those who we remember today left their mark on our lives, so can we leave a mark on this Christian community.   Our continued efforts to support the missions of our diocese and non-profit organizations that are making a difference here is one way that St. Andrew’s is leaving its mark.  Our worship and our service are making a difference, just as the love and concern for each other makes a difference – just as those we remember today made a difference for each of us. 

At the start of our Eucharist feast we gather with all the Angels, Archangels, and all the company of heaven.   As we do this today it is with a special thanks for the saints who have gone before us, who now help Christ prepare a place for us in God’s eternal kingdom. 

Let us pray,

Lord, you are the source of life and love.  In this transitory life we live, you have given us people who have helped mold us into who you would have us to be.  For their gifts to us, for the love we shared with them, and for the strength and comfort you offer us, now we give you thanks.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

October 30, 2011

Micah 3:5-12             Psalm 43                   1 Thessalonians 2:9-13      Matthew 23:1-12

We could focus our attention on the Pharisees whom Jesus criticized – noting as Jesus did that they do deeds to be seen by others, and that they love to be seated in places of honor.  I’m sure we could also note the parallels between their actions and our own human tendencies to enjoy being recognized for our accomplishments. 

I dare say we all appreciate it when someone thanks us for doing a good deed – even if we haven’t done it for the recognition.  Certainly not all public gifts are given for the recognition.  And certainly Jesus is not suggesting we need to speculate on whether or not another person’s gifts or actions are rightly motivated. 

So let’s begin today’s examination of this scripture by listening to its final verses.  Jesus says: “The greatest among you will be your servant.  All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” That is what Jesus tells the crowd, “The greatest among you will be your servant.”  

From this we understand that Jesus teaches us to be servant leaders; it is the leadership he modeled for us.  He healed the sick, he fed the hungry, and he washed the feet of his disciples.  By words and by example, Jesus teaches us that we are to be servants and we are to be servants because we want to do God’s will.  It might even be more appropriate to say we are to be servants because God has transformed our hearts so that caring for others has become our innermost desire. 

It is a mistake to judge the reasons why people do what they do – give what they give, because we cannot see into their hearts.  We are to give and do and be the people God has intended for us to be.  It sounds simple and it is – in theory.  But the truth is that not one among us, I dare say, is that pure in our motives.  Sometimes we do want others to see what we give, to appreciate the sacrifices we make AND to acknowledge our “good nature.” 

St. Augustine said, “Pride is a perverted imitation of God. For pride hates a fellowship of equality under God, and seeks to impose its own dominion on fellow men, in the place of God’s rule.” [i]  In today’s lesson, Jesus warns us not to seek the place of authority and he notes we are to be as servants.  He is speaking of our hearts desires.   What is it we want?

This suggests we might give for the wrong reasons.  So, if our motives are not pure are we are no better than the Pharisees?  Jesus is speaking to our motives, but we can find comfort in the good news theologian Allen Hilton says: “The antidote for hypocrisy is grace."

Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians gives us another perspective on this issue.  Paul calls attention to the importance of living a life that is an example – not for show as Jesus warns against, but as an example.  He is talking about acting in response to the transforming nature of Christ.  It is helpful to think of this in light of the question, “How do we become disciples?” 

We are called to serve in response to God’s blessings and we are called to be disciples of Christ.  But which comes first: our response to our experience of the divine, or discipleship?  It is much like “the chicken or the egg” question.  We can make an argument that for many of us we began living as disciples and are transformed as God’s love finds its way into our hearts.   

Not many of us have the “Road to Damascus” experience that Paul had.  Some of us have had a life changing experience of the divine upon hearing the powerful witness of people like the apostle Paul.  Yet, others of us are not so quick to respond to God’s grace. 

I was one of those for whom God had to work extra hard to get my attention.  I knew my life was missing something and decided to start going to church.  I felt God’s presence immediately in the liturgy, but I refused to admit it, even to myself.  It did, however, cause me to become faithful in my attendance, and become an active part of the life of the church.  Slowly, very slowly, over time, God’s grace rounded the sharp edges of my soul and I found myself changed by the love of Christ.  I found new life.

Some of us learn by doing.  What might start out as simply helping others because we think we should, becomes a transforming experience that leads us to instinctually doing the right thing. 

We instinctually do the right thing once we place God and other’s first.  This is what Christ is teaching us to do – to be servants.  Service takes on many forms, and for Paul, it is to serve as an example to those in Thessalonica and as he writes:

As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Paul serves as an example out of love, not for recognition.

People living as an example, encouraging me to lead a life worthy of God, were instrumental in me becoming the person I am today.  How you lead your life makes a difference when it encourages others to lead a life worthy of God.  And even when our motives are not 100% pure, God’s grace can work through us to reach others who are lost.

Jesus says, “All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”  This closing verse of today’s reading sums it all up.  A life worthy of God is one in which we humble ourselves in love and service for the greatest among us will be our servant.

Let us pray.

“Give us pure hearts that we may see Thee; a humble heart that we may hear Thee; a heart of love that we may serve Thee; a heart of faith that we may live Thee.”[ii] Amen.

October 23, 2011

Matthew 22:34-46

There I was, doing what a lot of people here in Mountain Home do, standing in line at Wal-Mart. As I waited, the couple behind me started complaining about the upcoming Presidential election, especially the debates. They talked about how politicians no longer debate the important issues of our day; instead they try to trap, trick, or out smart their opponent. Debates, they objected, no longer have substance, it’s all about who has the best one-liner or the best bumper sticker saying. As they criticized our modern political climate, I was quite tempted to turn around and ask them to read the twenty-second chapter of Matthew, from which we get today’s Gospel reading.

All through the 22^nd chapter Jesus hotly debates the authorities of his day and it wasn’t very pretty. The winner would gain power and influence. The loser would face destruction and even death. The Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees, the grand trifecta of power, join forces in order to trip Jesus up, make him look foolish, and put an end to his growing popularity. Isn’t it interesting that the subjects they test Jesus with are still hotly debated today – Money, Marriage, and the Law.

The Scribes serve up the first volley by trying to get Jesus to make a stance for or against taxes. If Jesus said he approves taxes, he’d become an enemy of every Jew. If he publicly said he was against taxes, the Romans will be sure to get rid of him. But Jesus has a wicked forehand. He holds a gold coin and proclaims that what belongs to Caesar should go back to Caesar, but all who are God’s belong to a much higher power. All that power and authority that coin represents will never hold God’s people. Caesar is secondary; God is primary. Jesus scores the first point, 30 – love; Jesus.

The Sadducees then approach the net and challenge Jesus by asking him if a man marries and divorces many times while he’s living, which wife will be his when he dies and goes to heaven? A loaded question for even the most experienced Hebrew scholar. They hope Jesus won’t be able to address the very sticky subjects of the sanctity of marriage, the difficult questions over divorce, and talk about the forbidden subject of resurrection. Again, Jesus backhands their shot and reminds them that husbands and wives, are all children of God and resurrection is best left up to God, not us. The Sadducees, Jesus slams back, can’t label people - our true identity comes from God alone.  40 – love; Jesus.

Finally, the Pharisees - the holy righteous ones – serve up a lawyer to challenge Jesus. We all know how dangerous things can get when lawyers get involved. The question sounds simple: which is the greatest commandment, yet by answering it Jesus enters very shaky ground. It would be like someone forcing you to place an ad in the Baxter Bulletin stating what you think about the bail out of Wall Street; legalization of marijuana; same sex marriage; toilet seat up or down? Without blinking, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy – “Love your God with your whole heart, mind, and soul.” You can almost hear the Pharisees laughing – that’s the kind of answer you get from a child. But then Jesus adds Leviticus, saying that we love God with our whole heart, mind, and soul by “Loving your neighbor as ourselves.”

It was quite rare for anyone to combine these two scripture verses. By doing so Jesus turns the whole world upside down.  Game, set, match.

Pharisees love check lists. For them religion was about what you did or couldn’t do. For hundred of years Pharisees taught that following the Law is following God. The law gave structure to their whole society. The law told them how to live, who they did business with, what they wore, what they ate, and how they worshipped God. In an instant Jesus makes all the laws about purity, cleanliness, rituals, and sacrifices secondary. Jesus has just cut the privileged status out from under the feet of the religious leaders whose position depends on the law. Jesus defiantly overturns their laws and demands that love takes over. 

When we hear the word love, we think about Hallmark cards with pictures of cute puppies on the cover. We think of flowers, candle light dinners, and valentines. For us, love is a warm, good, kumbaya feeling where we all hold hands and are at peace with one another.

A few days ago, a man came into our hospital that can only be described as a, forgive me, a backwoods hick. He lived in a self-made “cabin” with dirt floors that had no electricity, running water, or sewage. His gray hair and beard hung down to his waist. When he came into ICU it took the nurses over three hours just to give him a bath. His family told us that he took pride in never getting a hair cut or taking a bath. He was who he wanted to be and it wasn’t because of a lack of money or education. He graduated from grad school and had enough money to live on. He was described as stubborn, a recluse, and always needing to be right. Before he died his family told me, “If you want to pray for him, chaplain, you can but he never needed God. Heck, we never liked him either but we loved him anyway.” When support was removed from him and he died, over twenty five people were gathered around his bed.

“We never liked him, but we loved him anyway.” This is the kind of love Jesus talks about when he says, “Love your God with your whole heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.” The "love" Jesus is talking about here is all about trust, loyalty, and enduring devotion. You may actually hate your neighbor, but you will still love them if you continue to act for their well-being, don't tell lies about them, and refuse to cut off your relationship with them. Teresa of Avila says, “Let everyone understand that real love of God does not consist in tear-shedding, nor in that sweetness and tenderness for which usually we long, just because they console us, but in serving God in justice, fortitude of the soul and humility.”

Did you notice that our Gospel reading ends with Jesus asking a very confusing question about whose family will produce the messiah? Jesus asks the question to make the point that the messiah will never be subject to the Law but instead will fulfill the law. Jesus also asks his question in an attempt to keep the dialog open with those who were questioning him. Jesus doesn’t debate in order to win but to remain in relationship with everyone, even those who are out to kill him. Jesus may not like the Scribes, Sadducees, and Pharisees but he will always love them. And Jesus will always love us. And we are called to do the same - love. What is the greatest commandment then? As far as Jesus is concerned, it’s to participate in a community where, whoever you are in whatever position you find yourself; everyone is taken care of. And that means everyone.

October 16, 2011

Isaiah 45:1-7   Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13)        1 Thessalonians 1:1-10      Matthew 22:15-22

I attended a meeting with other priests and deacons from our convocation this past week and one of the priests referred to today’s lesson from Matthew as a slow pitch for a stewardship Sunday.  “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”  The good news for you is that I already preached my stewardship sermon and our stewardship campaign is nearly complete.  The bad news is that as I thought about what that priest said, I realized it would be appropriate to talk about stewardship today.  Not because I need to motivate you to give – but to acknowledge the fact that you are being faithful stewards of this church community. 

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is thought to be the oldest book in the New Testament.  So this story begins early in Paul’s travels, he and some of his followers have founded the church in Thessalonica and after receiving word on the health of the church there, he writes this letter.  He is clearly proud of them.  Today’s verses are his greeting and it occurred to me it could have been written to this congregation:  “we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction.” 

I’ve talked about the changes I have seen here at St. Andrew’s before, but it bears repeating.  Over the past year, this church has moved from doing just enough – to sharing with abundance.  Our focus has moved from meeting our own needs to those of others.

We still expect to receive a few more pledges, but the response to our need for a ten percent increase in pledges has been overwhelming.  Not everyone has been able to give more and some individual circumstances have meant that some were not able to pledge in 2012, but pledges overall have increased by an average of over 11%.  Once we add the six new pledges we received this year, giving has increased by over 17%.  As I said – your response has been overwhelming making it possible for us to do even more next year than we have this year.  The money we raise by hosting fundraisers in 2012 can once again go to outreach ensuring that St. Andrew’s will be the example to others, living with conviction, being the example that Paul talks about in his letter to the people in Thessalonica. 

On Tuesday the vestry will meet and review the results of our pledge campaign – then we will begin the process of developing our 2012 budget.  Because of your generosity, we will be better able to address the areas of our church life that are important and work to increase our visibility in the community.  We will not approach budgeting with a need to cut expenses, but with an eye for the future.  We’ll have the ability to set money aside to prepare for the unexpected.  It makes a tremendous difference to begin the budget process from a position of abundance rather than scarcity.  Stewardship is about more than money, however.

In the gospel reading, Jesus is again being tested by those in authority within the church who wish for him to speak against the government.  If they succeed, Jesus will be arrested for subversion.  Jesus uses their “test” to teach us about living our lives as God intends us to live.  We live in the world and thus we have obligation to others – our nation and our communities.  Yet, we are also obligated to do the will of God.  We have material (or financial) obligations and we have spiritual obligations – but these are not necessarily mutually exclusive.  Our spiritual life and the importance we place on it is reflected in how we choose to spend our money.  Financially supporting the church and other charitable causes that care for the needs of others is an example of where our life in the material world overlaps and reflects our spiritual life. 

The question posed by those sent by the Pharisees – “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the Emperor, or not?” is one that highlights the conflict between Jewish Law and the world people lived in – a nation occupied by the Romans.  Jewish Law instructs its people to recognize Jewish authority above all else – yet Roman law requires them to pay taxes.  For Jesus to say it was lawful to pay taxes would contradict Jewish Law.  Yet, to say it was not would mark him as a threat against Rome and give the Roman authorities reason to arrest him.

His answer, “Give . . . to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's,” avoids the trap the Pharisees have set for him.  But, it is not just a clever way out; his statement raises the question: “What belongs to the emperor, and what belongs to God?”

The coin used to pay the taxes was, as Jesus points out, a coin with the image of Caesar on it.  So, he is saying to give to Caesar that which bears his image, but to God what is God’s.  Since we are made in God’s image, Jesus is telling us to give ourselves to God.  Or, in the words of Hebrew Scripture:  “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might (Deut 6:5 NRS).” 

This passage today might indeed be a soft pitch for a stewardship sermon, but it is not about money – then again neither is stewardship.  The lesson reminds us that we are not only invited us into a relationship with God, it reminds us that we are not to hold anything back.  We are called to give our time and talents; we are called to give our hearts and minds, so that all that we do is an offering to God.

When those who were trying to trap Jesus heard what he said, they were amazed and they went away.  Jesus took the trap they had set for him and used it to challenge each of us to live more fully in the image of God.  He turned a political question into a question of faith.  He took a question that was meant to divide the people and turned it into a challenge to strengthen our relationship to God and to each other. 

Jesus challenges us to think.  What belongs to the emperor and what belongs to God?  Jesus calls them hypocrites for they are pretending to be there to learn, but they are there to divide God’s people forcing them to choose between Jesus and the church.  God came to earth in the flesh, as Jesus, not to divide, but to unite us to God, our creator, in whose image we are created.  Thus, as we consider the question, we can be confident that whatever brings us closer to God and each other is that which belongs to God.

Let us pray.

Creator of heaven and earth, you created us in your image that we might join together and work to bring about your kingdom on earth as it is heaven.  Direct our lives that we might work to heal the divisions we have created in this world and use all that you have given us to the glory of your Holy Name.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

October 9, 2011

Isaiah 25:1-9             Psalm 23                   Philippians 4:1-9                  Matthew 22:1-14

In Chapter 21 of Matthew, Jesus enters into Jerusalem with all the fanfare.  An event captured in all four gospels and one that we remember on Palm Sunday.  Midway through that chapter, Jesus enters the temple where his authority is challenged by the Chief Priests and the Pharisees; he responds by challenging them to answer a question on John’s authority.  When they don’t he turns to the crowd and tells three parables:  the parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked tenants, and today’s parable of the Wedding Feast. 

All three parables teach us who will be admitted into the Kingdom of God, and all three suggest that we might be surprised by who is admitted.  The parable of the Wedding Feast seems difficult to comprehend – but once we identify the characters, its message becomes clear.

God is the King who issues his invitation to the wedding feast of Jesus his son.  The invitation is first extended to those we might expect – the people of Israel – including the Chief Priests and the Pharisees.  Every single one of them fails to respond, some are even hostile to the king’s slave sent to deliver the invitation (the slaves representing the prophets).  The king then invites everyone else, good and bad – representing the Gentiles and sinners. 

So the story begins with God inviting his chosen people, the people of Israel, but they do not come.  Again, he sends prophets, only to be rejected a second time.  The king says, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy.”  This not only says to the Jewish Leaders that their place in heaven is not assured by virtue of their position, it reminds us that calling ourselves Christians is not enough.  Yes, we will be invited to the heavenly banquet, but if we ignore the invitation, God will invite others to take our seat at the table. 

That is what the king did, he sends his slaves into the streets telling them to “invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.”  The very next verse tells us that the slaves gathered the “good and the bad.”  God’s grace is offered to everyone, the Priests and the Pharisees, the prostitutes and the tax collectors – those who are doing God’s will and those who are not.

Once the banquet hall is filled, the king looks out over those gathered and sees one man not dressed in a wedding robe.  He asks him, “Friend, how did you come here without a wedding robe?”  The man was speechless – he offered no explanation and no apology.  This parable becomes more difficult here, for the king responds by having the man rejected from the banquet; he sends him into the “outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”  Then Jesus says, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

On the one hand we have God’s grace inviting all to the banquet – on the other we have God declaring one of the guests unworthy.  Simply put, by grace we are offered salvation, but we will not receive it by simply showing up any more than a priest will receive it by virtue of his or her position.  Salvation requires transformation.  

It is important to note that we are all invited and we have a choice whether or not to attend – but God is ultimately the judge.  I read one commentary that suggested there is comfort in knowing that God alone will pass judgment.  I am thankful that I am not the judge – that God is, but as for being thankful that God will pass judgment, I don’t find that particularly helpful. 

I’ve never been a fan of any theology that has the potential of scaring us into believing – and the thought of being judged by God as unworthy is a bit scary.  How then, do we live with hope knowing what we’ve done in our past that was not worthy of God’s love?

In this parable, several have suggested that putting on a wedding robe is what Paul would describe as “putting on Christ Jesus.”    It represents the transformation that is necessary for us to be Christians.  What is important to note in the parable is that all are invited – good and bad and that when the king notices the man dressed inappropriately he approaches him and greets him as “friend.” 

What would have happened if the man had fallen down before the king and asked for forgiveness – would the king not have rejoiced as did the father of the prodigal son and had a wedding robe brought to him?  I think so. 

The door to the kingdom is open wide, but those who enter are obligated to do so with respect.  Christianity should not be considered a membership that ensures us entry; it is a way of life that requires amendment of life.  Thus the statement at the conclusion of this parable – “many are called, but few are chosen,” relates to us two messages.  First, it tells us that God alone will judge our hearts, for God alone will know if we have been transformed by Christ.  The second is that we are all called to place Christ at the center of our lives, but few are truly able to live such a life. 

Grace may be freely offered, but we are not without responsibility.   We must so center our lives in Christ that we may return to our creator restored.  The greatest obstacle to being chosen is ourselves; our lives are often stained by periods of self-centeredness.  Transformation, like becoming a Christian is not a onetime event – it requires us to ask for forgiveness over and over again and return to God.  The good news is that God’s forgiveness is freely offered to restore us to wholeness and that Christ is our advocate with the Father.  Through him, our sins have been and will be forgiven.

Let us pray.

Creator of all and the source of our salvation, we offer ourselves to you that we might be restored and renewed through your Holy Spirit.  So fill our hearts with your love that we might clothe ourselves with Christ Jesus and go forth to love and serve you.  All this we ask in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

October 2, 2011

Isaiah 5:1-7               Psalm 80: 7-14         Philippians 3:4b-14             Matthew 21:33-46

Even before I left Mountain Home two weeks ago to attend the Credo Conference, I began examining my life using four different lenses:  Spiritual, Vocational, Physical & Emotional Health, and Financial.  I completed a battery of questionnaires, and some of you completed them about me as well.  I greatly appreciate the feedback from those of you who were selected to complete those questionnaires.  At the conference I was guided into a review of my life in all these areas.  Then, using what I learned, I was asked to develop my own Credo Plan – a plan to help me live intentionally with the overarching goal of improving my health and ministry. 

It was truly a gift to be able to spend time undertaking such a task and I believe it will help me in my ministry here – or, I really should say our ministry here.  An important component of developing a plan to address any goal is to determine what relationships are affected and are necessary to achieve that goal. 

In the membership meetings we held in August and September, we examined how the size of a church affects the relationships between its members and its clergy.  We also noted the importance of a church’s mission to its health.  Over and over again I have been hearing you express your pride in our outreach.  I also heard your desire to be more visible in our community. 

Yesterday you did both AND, this afternoon at the Pet Blessing we will do both again.  This year St. Andrew’s has been intentional about getting more involved helping this community.  Turning our attention to mission has brought new life to St. Andrew’s. 

Upon my return from Credo I watched April Baily’s Television Interview about our Benefit Concert and I heard reports of Stu Friend’s radio interview.  Throughout town I saw flyers posted in windows.  Announcements of the concert and our Pet Blessing appeared on multiple occasions in the newspaper.  It was wonderful exposure for St. Andrew’s and it helped raise awareness in our community that there is a significant homeless population here, and there are pets that need the love and care found in a good home.

Recently I ran into someone who said she has been hearing of all the activities that St. Andrew’s hosts or supports.  In addition to the causes we have supported, we now support the Twin Lakes Choral Society by offering them a place to hold their rehearsals.  On any given morning and on several evenings a week you will find a number of cars in our parking lot when you drive by. 

While attending Credo and reflecting on what gives us life here at St. Andrew’s – our increased focus on mission came to mind.  I believe it has changed our perspective.  We are offering what we have rather than worrying about our limited resources.  We have taken what we do well – hosting dinners and events and began offering them to do what Christ calls us to do. 

Perspective – Paul’s letter to the Philippians demonstrates the importance of perspective.  Paul, a self proclaimed, “persecutor of the church,” says of himself, “as to righteousness under the law, [I was] blameless.”  This, of course was before his conversion experience on the road to Damascus.  After that, he says:

Whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. 

Before his conversion Paul views himself as “blameless,” but after his conversion he views his previous life as worthless – for after his conversion, his understanding of God’s will has been revealed to him.  What has changed is his perspective.  He once understood salvation as something we earn through strict adherence to the commandments.  But when he wrote this letter, Paul understood salvation as a gift.  One’s perspective can radically change a person’s faith and religious practice.

At the conclusion of our worship – one of the choices I have for dismissing the congregation is to say, “Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.”  That is what you have been doing all year.  We’ve raised money for the Mountain Home Food Basket while we’ve continue to stock a our own Food Pantry to ensure that no one who comes to us for help is turned away without being offered food.  We’ve raised money for various diocesan ministries hosted at Camp Mitchell.  We’ve raised money for the ASU Student Ambassadors, the homeless, and various other organizations.  This afternoon, we’ll collect food and money for the Humane Society. 

In addition to celebrating the Feast of St. Francis today, this Sunday is our Commitment Sunday – it is the Sunday we are making a financial pledge to support God’s work here at St. Andrew’s.  Had I been to Credo before we printed your pledge cards, I might have suggested that they include space for you to pledge more than your financial support – for what we are each called to offer unto God is our entire life.  We offer not just our money, but our spiritual life, our commitment to care for our own physical and emotional well being, and our life’s work.

In the parable in Matthew the vineyard owner is God.  He twice sends his slaves, representing the prophets, to the vineyard to collect his share of the produce, but the tenants beat and kill them – than he sends his own son, Jesus, and he too is killed.  Jesus, by his death and resurrection, becomes our foundation.  He is the stone that has been rejected by the Priests and Pharisees.  Jesus thus warns the Priests and the Pharisees that, should they not amend their ways as Paul did, they will be replaced by Christ’s followers who will bear the fruit of an authentic relationship with God. 

As Credo helped me to identify important practices for me to live an authentic life in Christ, I invite you to reflect on what this might mean to you.  Like Paul once did, the priests and the Pharisees were focusing on the law and living according to the law – but Paul learned that his life, before Christ, was not authentic.  His faith was little more than following a script.  After his encounter with Christ, Paul realized that he could find life through faith in the risen Christ.

I invite you to consider what Paul’s letter to the Philippians and the Parable of the wicked tenants has to teach us about our own commitments we will make this morning.  When I looked at my life from four different perspectives I learned a great deal about where my priorities need to be in order to live an authentic life in Christ.  Paul says his perspective changed “because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” 

Are we truly living our lives in accordance with our priorities – or do we need to renew your commitment to “go in peace to love and serve the Lord?”  In the moments of silence after my sermon, I again invite you to consider what you might pledge to God in each aspect of your life – then as we offer our financial pledges unto God in the celebration of the Eucharist – silently offer your pledges of time and talent, worship and prayer, and self-care as well.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being.  Through your Son you offer us life.  So fill our hearts with your grace that we might truly experience your love, know and understand your will, and live our lives with the intention of serving you.  We ask these things in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

September 18, 2011

Jonah 3:10-4:11       Psalm 145:1-8          Philippians 1:21-30             Matthew 20:1-16

“It’s not fair,”  we’ve all heard this said by others – and more than likely we’ve all said it at one point or another.  The workers who spent the entire day working in the vineyard who received the same wage as those who worked only an hour or so said it.  And they were right – life isn’t fair!  Thank goodness.

That is, life isn’t fair by human standards.  There are those for whom everything seems to come easily.  There are those who have been given tremendous breaks and opportunities while others have not.  There are those who have been caught and punished for doing what so many others have gotten away with.  But then, not one among us desires salvation. 

We’ve all hurt others, we’ve all thought of ourselves before others, we’ve all wished someone else would “do it” for us, and we’ve all envied the good fortune of others thinking, “why wasn’t it me.”

Jonah is so insistent that the people of Nineveh be punished – destroyed, that he would rather die than witness God’s forgiveness.  Jonah throws a tantrum and goes and sits on a hill overlooking Nineveh hoping God will change his mind and destroy the city. 

God offers Jonah comfort by “appointing” a bush to grow up and provide him shade.  Then the next day God sends a worm to kill the bush.  One day Jonah enjoys the shade of a bush, the next he suffers in the heat and is angry.

God asks, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” To which Jonah replies, “Yes, angry enough to die.”

Then the LORD said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

God uses the bush to make a point to Jonah; God is saying it is his desire to have all of humanity work in his vineyard. 

We do not earn ourselves a place in God’s garden; we are invited over and over again into a relationship with God.  Yet, like the first workers in the vineyard, we want to be paid according to our efforts or our worth.  Or this is our wish when we are doing what God would have us do – but when we sin we want mercy.

Why is it so difficult then to celebrate God’s mercy for others?  Jonah’s struggle with it was because he was unable to forgive the people of Nineveh (Gentiles) for the injustices they had imposed upon the people of Israel.  He didn’t want to go preach repentance to them because he wanted them to experience God’s wrath.  The people of Nineveh were the enemy – but God persuaded him to go, nonetheless.  Of course, it took being swallowed by a whale to convince Jonah to go, still Jonah did go and preach God’s word. 

To say Jonah did it reluctantly would be an understatement.  It worked out like he expected - the people repented and God forgave them, but that was not as he wished.  So he did what most of us would do – he pouted rather than celebrate.

God’s forgiveness and mercy is offered to us repeatedly and it is freely given. In the parable we heard this morning from Matthew, the vineyard owner wants everyone to work and received a daily wage.  Scholars speculate the “daily wage” he paid was just enough for the worker’s daily bread. 

God wants us to have enough and like the vineyard owner who returned to the marketplace throughout the day, God is continually offering us what we need – only some of us want more.  We focus on ourselves and our desires and we fail to give thanks for what we have received and we fail to give thanks for what others have received.

Should the workers who were paid a day’s wages have preferred their neighbors to go home without enough money to eat that night?  Would they have preferred that their neighbors starve?  I don’t think so, they wanted more for themselves and thus, they failed to recognize the generosity of the vineyard owner who made sure everyone would have enough to eat that night. 

Like Jonah, they were thinking only of themselves and what they wanted.  I don’t think they were wishing ill on the ones who had worked less than they did – but Jonah certainly did.  When God forgave the people of Nineveh, Jonah wished to die.  Contrast this to our reading from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

Paul is writing from prison where entertaining notions of being better off dead makes sense.  Yet, Paul chooses life instead, saying:

I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you.

Paul chooses life because he believes it is best for the Christian community.  Whether or not he suffers, he believes Christ is with him, calling upon him to serve.

I read a commentary about Paul’s letter to the Philippians by Gilberto Collazo in which he makes the point that some of us build our own prisons – we could certainly argue this was the case for Jonah.  He built himself a prison, a prison of hatred for the people of Nineveh.  He was so consumed by his inability to forgive that he wanted to die.  'Prison moments' may be self imposed, but are also rough times in our lives, Collazo says in his article:

When those “prison moments” come, we are invited to model for others what it means to face them with hope. We are given two options: to give up and experience defeat and death, or to proclaim like Job that even in the deepest despair, our Savior lives and we shall experience God’s goodness in the midst of it all. Like Paul, I choose life.[i]

Paul did choose life, life in Christ that makes it possible for each of us to experience hope and even joy in the midst of suffering. 

There are two messages that I found in today’s readings that are essential for choosing life.  The first is that we must be able to forgive.  Jonah suffered tremendously, he resisted God’s call, and resented God’s forgiveness because he himself could not forgive. 

The second lesson is a repeat of what Paul said in his letter to the Romans that we read last week, “we do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.”  Paul understood this, but the workers in the parable struggled with it.  They were thinking of themselves and were angered by the mercy of the vineyard owner.  In the scripture from Jonah and the parable from Matthew, the appropriate response should have been awe and wonder at the generosity of our Lord who offers mercy to us as well. 

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and the source of love, fill us with your love that we might truly and sincerely celebrate the blessing you have bestowed upon us AND others.  Help us we pray to live our lives after the example of the apostle Paul who found life and joy by living in Christ.  Use us for your service and so focus our lives that we might truly live in and for this community of the faithful.  We pray in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen

September 11, 2011

Genesis 50:15-21    Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13          Romans 14:1-12      Matthew 18:21-35   

Thursday night I had the privilege of hearing Peter Mann conduct the Arkansas Sympathy Orchestra.  He began the evening acknowledging the events of September 11^th ten years ago and noted it affected people worldwide.  It was with the events of that day in mind that he selected the music for the orchestra’s performance.  He then noted the music would cover the range of emotions we felt in response to what was the single greatest act of terrorism our nation has ever known.   

In the concert I did experience much of what I felt on and after 9/11.  The last two songs before the intermission said it all for me.  Adagio for Strings is a mournful song that reminded me of the utter horror and deep, deep sorrow I felt that day as I watched the images on the television of the second plane crashing into the twin towers followed by the collapse of first one, then the other tower.  Then, I felt that sense of unity, patriotism, and reverence for God’s bounty as the orchestra played America the Beautiful. 

On TV this week I heard comments about our nation experiencing the worst and the best that day – and I could not help but agree.  In the midst of tragedy, the people of this nation reached out to those affected and helped each other. The people on United Flight 93, knowing what was to come, made the decision to sacrifice themselves by crashing their plane in a field in Pennsylvania rather than allow it’s hijackers to take the lives of other innocents.           

I experienced this concert after having spent part of my day working on today’s sermon – so today’s readings were on my mind as I listened.  Our readings challenge us to forgive and the music reminded me that a profound sense of sadness is appropriate as we remember the events of that day.  It is not my intent to focus on 9/11 and on Christ’s teaching on forgiveness today, but on this tenth anniversary of an attack on our country, I feel it appropriate to remember those who died and to acknowledge what the scriptures are saying to us. 

Christ tells the disciples to forgive seventy-seven times which can also be translated as seven times seven.  It is important to understand that Christ is not putting a number on how many times we are to forgive, he is using the “holy number” seven which represents perfection – and he is saying go beyond that.  In other words, forgive completely.

How does this scripture relate to the terrorists and those who planned the attack on our nation?  First, to forgive is not to forget.  Christ is teaching us to leave judgment to God – but that is not saying how we as a society are to respond to evil.  We have a responsibility to care for and protect the victims of crime, injustice, and terrorism. 

Repentance is necessary for the ones who have sinned to restore themselves to God, but it should not be a condition of our forgiveness.  Our ability to forgive arises out of our belief that God alone is the judge and it arises out of our desire for every human being to be reconciled to God.  Insomuch as those responsible are children of God, this scripture calls us to forgive.

However, it would be a mistake to apply this scripture to those who attacked this country on September 11^th without considering other scriptures that call upon us to protect the innocent.  We are called to forgive, but we as a society are called to hold people accountable for their actions.

What the Gospel lesson is teaching us is that forgiveness needs to more than mere words, forgiveness is to come from our hearts and it requires us to trust in God.  It is not an easy task, to trust God so completely – but that is what Jesus is telling us we need to do so that we will not become infected with hatred from the evil acts of others.    

Jesus is speaking to Peter who is obviously frustrated with members of their community who continuously make mistakes.  Jesus is teaching us how to live together and that forgiveness is key to our life in community. 

Paul is also teaching us what it means to live in community:

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 

We do not live in isolation; we are a part of something much bigger than ourselves. 

Over the past few weeks we have held membership meals in which we have talked about what we value here at St. Andrew’s, what gives us life, what we need to flourish – or to be healthy, and when we are at our best.  Katie has recorded individual and group responses and I spent time this week reviewing these.  There will be one more opportunity for you as members to share your feelings – but I want to share what I’ve learned thus far.

As Paul reminds us, “we do not live to ourselves . . .if we live we live to the Lord . . . we are the Lord’s.”  You have said, St. Andrew’s is at its best when we are Caring for our Church Family – when people are in need, when they are grieving, and when they are in crisis.  The sense of purpose that comes from caring for others extends beyond ourselves into the community.  We do not live to ourselves as individuals or as a church.  You feel we are at our best when we are working toward a common goal in mission and by hosting events to support mission – what is important to the life of this church is unity of purpose, service, and hospitality. 

Fellowship is also important, much of which is combined with mission, education, and the various groups and programs that are active here:  Episcopal Church Women, Episcopal Youth Community, Second Saturday Singles, Men’s Group, Holy Smokers, Daughters of the King, Education for Ministry, Adult Forum, Angel Food Ministry, and hosting meals to support various causes.

All these programs and activities are important, but our worship is what brings us together.  Our liturgy, our music, our theology, the involvement of our members in the services as readers, chalice bearers, choir members, acolytes, greeters, the congregation, and those who prepare the altar – our altar guild all work together to maintain a tradition of worship that has been in place for centuries. 

You feel a need to grow, you understand the need for financial stability and thus, more money, and you want more visibility in the community.  You also want greater diversity in the age of our congregation.   Still – you value what you have and understand what it will take to keep it.  Not just money –we need participation as well.  We need members to participate in the life of the church – to be actively involved in one way or another in supporting that which gives us life:  worship, hospitality, and outreach – and yes, giving financially.  We cannot function without your financial support – but neither can we function without your prayers, your presence, and your service. 

These membership meals have fulfilled their purpose – to find out from you what is important to this community and to discuss what is needed for us to care for our church family.  You now know that caring for this church family will be a financial challenge in 2012 – and I now understand that you truly feel like a church when you are working side by side helping this community. 

I have heard a number of you say growth in membership will provide needed financial relief.  Most young families are living paycheck to paycheck today.  People who work often have less disposable income than those who are retired.  Some who are retired have just enough to get by, and that is all that they have.  So growth may or may not help us financially.  The challenge of having enough money is the same for our church as it is for any family.  We must accept the responsibility to pay for what we value most – we cannot wait for someone else to come and pay our bills for us. 

In 2012 I expect St. Andrew’s to continue to host fundraisers for outreach.  These not only support our community, they increase our visibility and provide us the opportunity to extend our hospitality to others.   I also expect our worship, education, and fellowship to continue to feed the life of this church.  I expect to be here serving this congregation.  I am excited about the growth we have experienced these past two years and I expect it to continue.   For all of this to happen, those of us who are able will have to provide more financial support – but I have faith that God is at work here, and that St. Andrew’s will continue to grow in faith and service. 

Let us pray.

Lord, we give thanks for the work of your hand here at St. Andrew’s.  We give thanks for the presence of your Holy Spirit in our midst guiding us and breathing life into this Body of your Son that we might go forth having been renewed in faith and be a witness to your love for all of humanity.  We pray to you in the name of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

September 4, 2011

Ezekiel 33:7-11        Psalm 119:33-40      Romans 13:8-14      Matthew 18:15-20

A thread runs thru Ezekiel, the Psalm appointed for today, our reading from Romans, and today’s Gospel.  In Ezekiel we are reminded that God does not rejoice in the death of the wicked – rather God prefers all who have sinned to return to life.  He instructs the people of Israel to confront wrong doers – to warn the wicked that they must change their ways or they will die.  The wage of sin is death, the way of God leads to life.  The Psalmist says:

33 Teach me, O LORD, the way of your statutes, *
and I shall keep it to the end.

34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep your law; *
I shall keep it with all my heart.

35 Make me go in the path of your commandments, *
for that is my desire.

36 Incline my heart to your decrees *
and not to unjust gain.

37 Turn my eyes from watching what is worthless; *
give me life in your ways.

The prayer of the psalmist is that God will help him focus on that which is good and right, not the worthless.  He asks God to teach him the way of the statues.           

God’s statutes – a phrase we read over and over again in the Bible, more specifically in the Old Testament.  The word “statutes” is used 142 times in the Bible – all in the Old Testament.  It refers to God’s instructions to us on how to live in relation to God and in community.  It refers to more than just the Ten Commandments; it refers to God’s Law.   

In the New Testament, we have references to the Law, the Law and the Prophets, and the commandments – but all are referring to the basically the same thing.  When Jesus was asked which commandment was the greatest, he replied,

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it:  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40).

This passage is from the 22nd chapter in Matthew.  So, you see, Paul is drawing from this when he writes to the people in Rome that all of the commands can be summed up in one:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  This letter from Paul was written before the Gospel of Matthew (by about 30 years), but early Christians were surely quoting this teaching long before Matthew put his pen to paper (so to speak). 

Paul instructs the church in Rome to put on the armor of light, Jesus Christ, so that they might not succumb to the ways of the flesh, the darkness of sin.  Both the metaphor of darkness for sin, and light for God used throughout the Bible are to remind us to focus our attention on God rather than ourselves, our desires and our wants. 

Paul tells us to: “live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.”  We need the light to see where we are going.  Without the light, we will surely stumble and be guilty of going against God’s statutes. 

Jesus gives the people instructions in Matthew how to deal with conflict, to bring those who sin back into communion with the faithful:

If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.

Both Ezekiel and the Gospel remind us that we are responsible for not only our own lives, but those of others as well.  We are directed to do what we can to return the lost into the fold – into the community of believers.  Ezekiel goes so far as to say that we will have their blood on our hands if we do not – Jesus notes that if a wayward soul repents, then we have “regained” them.

The thread that ties together today’s lessons is God’s Law.  They talk about being faithful to God’s statutes and commands which can all be summed up as “love thy neighbor as thyself.”  This needs to be the foundation for all churches – for if each of us loves one another as we love ourselves, we will care whenever a member is struggling.  We will approach them out of love and invite them back. 

The final verses in today’s Gospel almost seem out of place – but they aren’t.  After Jesus provides step by step instruction on how to approach a member who has wronged us, who has sinned against us – he then says:

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.

What first struck me as odd was the final verse, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”  What does this have to do with how we resolve conflict?

Then it hit me – it has everything thing to do with resolving conflicts.  Remember the first step:  we are instructed to go to the person in private.   After this, insert, “for where two are gathered in my name, I am there.”  Christ is instructing us to go to each other in his name – not to seek compensation or revenge, not for our own satisfaction, but we are to go to those who have sinned against us for their sake and to ask God to restore our broken relationship.

We seek resolution out of love for the other; when God is with us and the possibility of success is far greater.  If we don’t go, then we have bound ourselves to resentment.  If we go, we have loosed ourselves on earth that we might know God’s love and forgiveness. 

To loose the power of darkness, we must put on the armor of light that Paul talks about and ask God's help to do as the psalmist prays, “Turn our eyes from watching what is worthless; give me life in your ways.” 

Let us pray.

Almighty and ever loving God; turn our eyes toward the light, so that we might see those who have wronged us as members of your creation.  Help us to forgive, that we might be forgiven.  Give us understanding that we might keep your statues and live them with all our hearts – loving our neighbors as ourselves.  All this we ask in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

August 28, 2011

Jeremiah 15:15-21               Psalm 26:1-8             Romans 12:9-21      Matthew 16:21-28

The Epistles, such as Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, are letters which followed the prescribed form for writing letters in Paul’s day.  A proper letter included a greeting, a prayer, a thanksgiving, the content of the letter, and special salutations and personal greetings.   

Today’s lesson from Romans comes from the content portion of Paul’s letter – or the portion in which he says what he believes the Church of Rome needs to hear.  And what is that? 

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection . . . Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. . . . extend hospitality to strangers. 

Paul’s letter is instructing the people of the church in Rome how to live as Christians. 

Let’s look at this passage closely:  verse 13 tells us to “extend hospitality to strangers.”  If you read the Bishop’s Message in last week’s Communiqué, you will know that Bishop Benfield used St. Andrew’s as an example to others of being hospitable.  He was impressed that the church was open, greeters in place and welcoming people into our church when he arrived 20 minutes before the start of our service.  He was also impressed that as many people attended the first service as the second service.  

Perhaps the bishop was struck by the fact that we take both services seriously, and as a whole we don’t favor one service over the other.  Or perhaps the bishop noticed that we have managed to achieve some balance in the life of this church.  It is easy to focus too much attention on one area of our life together and neglect another.  Members can spend their time before and after services visiting with the people they know and neglect to introduce themselves to a visitor.  Paul tells us to “love one another with mutual affection,” so catching up with each other and hearing what has happened in the lives of others members is important.  Yet, Paul also reminds us to “extend hospitality to strangers.”  The mutual support that Paul talks about in his letter was evident to the bishop – and so was your willingness to extend hospitality to strangers.

What Paul directs us to do next is more difficult to achieve:   “Bless those who persecute you . . . Live in harmony . . .”  Paul then reminds us what the Lord has said, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink.”  We are to hate evil, but love the very people who express it.  So we are to live in harmony, extend hospitality to strangers . . . and to our enemies.  We are not to overcome evil with evil, but with good instead. 

Being a greeter is indeed a challenging position, isn’t it?  Sorry, I mean being a Christian is challenging.  Paul was not writing to the greeters of the church, but to all of us.  “Let love be genuine,” Paul writes, making it even more challenging.  God does not want us to pretend to love our enemies; he wants us to genuinely love them.   It seems impossible, but it is not.

Last week, before Linda, Donna, Michelle and Jennie were confirmed and received into the holy communion of the Episcopal Church, Bishop Benfield visited with each of them and reminded them that what we believe as Episcopalians is found in the Apostle’s Creed which is a part of our Baptismal Covenant.  His shortened version was, we believe in God as creator, we believe in the resurrected Body of Christ, and we believe that God’s love extends beyond life itself and will restore us to unity with God.   Then he pointed out that we are all part of the body of the resurrected Christ.  When we seek to see Christ in others, it changes how we view them – and that changes us. 

Let me say that again:  we believe that God created us, that Christ lived, died, and was resurrected, and that the Holy Spirit will reconcile and unite us all – for not even death can conquer God’s love for us.  AND, when we see our enemies as God’s creation, in whom, Christ is present – it changes us.  We cannot change our enemies – but we can change how we view them – which changes how we genuinely feel about them and how we treat them. 

It is easier said than done.  It requires a constant effort on our parts.  I, for one, learned a long time ago that is why I need to come to church.  I began to use my time on the kneeler to review my week, to pray for forgiveness, and to pray for the strength to do better.  When the bishop told those confirmed and received that we come to church because it changes us, he was right.  Still, after all these years, I find I haven’t run out of things for which to pray for forgiveness – imagine that. 

One more reminder from Paul that helps us to extend hospitality to our enemies – he reminds us that we are not to judge those who persecute us, but to leave that to God:  “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God.”  You can interpret this many ways, but I think it best to remember that the sins of others are between them and God – and I’ve made enough mistakes of my own – mistakes that have hurt others, that I don’t want to add to my list of times I have yielded to temptation by attempting to sit in God’s chair – you know, the judgment seat. 

Many of you have examined this issue of temptation by discussing our Gospel reading for today.  This was the last month for this summer’s Divine Dinners Bible Study and Peter’s temptation to Christ to go against the will of God was your text.  Peter – the same disciple whom Jesus said last week was to be the “rock” or foundation of the church – Jesus calls “Satan” this week. 

In this lesson, Jesus tells the disciples that to be his followers, they must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him.  First, in Peter’s defense, I have already said that being a Christian requires constant effort – and although Peter was trying to tell Jesus what needed to be done, he was doing so out of fear.  I would like to believe that being a Christian would mean that we would be showered with God’s Blessings – but I know that isn’t the case.  To be a Christian doesn’t protect us from evil, from the path of hurricanes or tornados, or from diseases or accidents. 

Being a Christian requires us to accept that suffering is a part of life and not something to be avoided.  Paul writes, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Jesus says that “those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose it for my sake will find it.” 

All of this gets to be confusing – to save your life you must lose it; if you lose your life you will find it.  And, extend hospitality – and genuinely love your enemies.  But it is confusing because our vision is clouded by our understanding, by our experiences, and by our inability to see beyond what we feel we need or want.  That is why Peter tried to talk Christ out of doing what he needed to do – Peter felt he needed Jesus present with him – present in flesh and blood, but he didn’t.  In fact, after Christ’s death and resurrection, the Holy Spirit revealed to Peter that Jesus was not only with him, but in him.  And Peter did become the rock on which the Body of Christ was built.  Something he could have never achieved on his own.

Paul writes, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  Christ demonstrated this to us all – evil can be overcome and the good that is within every human being can change the world.  It is therefore up to us to look for the Christ within everyone.  Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”  Look for Christ in others and you may just get a glimpse of God's kingdom.

Let us pray. 

Open our hearts, o Lord, that we might feel your presence in the midst of those who trouble us.  Open our eyes that we might see you in the eyes of others, and fill our minds with images of your kingdom.  We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

August 14, 2011

Isaiah 56:1, 6-8    Psalm 67    Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32    Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28

This past week I was at Camp Mitchell where I lead two services a day from Sunday through Wednesday and ended the week with a closing Eucharist Thursday morning.  With the exception of Sunday’s Eucharist for the staff and the closing Eucharistic, it was not appropriate to use the Book of Common Prayer as our source for worship.

I was the priest for one of the two Robert R. Brown camps held each summer.  It is a camp for people who are mentally and physically challenged.  Several campers began coming as children.  Now, they range in age from their late teens to their early sixties, but very few are Episcopalian.  Given the differences between the worship traditions of the campers and the fact that many cannot read, Morning Prayer and Compline were not appropriate for our daily chapel.  I am so thankful to be back here worshiping with my Prayer Book. 

Although we say these camps are for the campers – we could just as easily say the same for the staff.  The youth of our diocese – teenagers and college students stay in the cabins with the campers, shepherd them from activity to activity and even help them eat and bathe each day.  I honestly can’t say who gets more from these camps – the campers or the staff.  Based on what I witnessed and what I personally experienced, I can say that God is present and that lives are shaped for the better as a result of our coming together.

The campers are among those that our society generally considers outsiders.  Though some of them are able to work in sheltered work environments, they spend the majority of their time in group homes interacting with each other and those paid to care for them.  Today’s gospel reading, is an account of Jesus’ interaction with a woman from Canaan.  For the Jewish people, she would be considered an outsider. 

I still struggle with Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus in today’s Gospel – and some of his other gospel accounts as well.  I much prefer the side of Jesus portrayed in Luke when Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan - another outsider, a Samaritan who demonstrates what it means to be a good neighbor.  In telling that parable, Jesus says that we need to treat all people, Jew and Gentile, as our neighbors – as equals. 

Yet, here in today’s story a woman comes to Jesus in obvious distress – shouting at him, help me, help me, and he first responds by ignoring her.  After his disciples ask him to send her away – just to get her to stop shouting, Jesus answers her saying, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  That’s like saying, “helping you is not in my job description.” 

The woman then kneels down before him and humbly asks for help.  Yet, Jesus doesn’t give in – at least not yet.  He tells her, “It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs.”  So first, Jesus refuses to help her because she is not Jewish – as if God’s love is reserved for one ethnic group and does not extend to all of humanity.  Then, Jesus, in essence, calls the lady a dog!  What happened to everyone is our neighbor, and what happened to love thy neighbor as thyself?

The woman does not give up; however, she tells him that even the dogs are entitled to eat the crumbs the children drop onto the floor.  Only then, does Jesus relent.  He tells her that her faith is great and her daughter is healed.

All of this is in stark contrast to the Old Testament reading from Isaiah:

And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,

to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD,

and to be his servants,

all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,

and hold fast my covenant--

these I will bring to my holy mountain,

and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

By saying that foreigners will be brought to God’s holy mountain, Isaiah is telling the people of Israel that God’s love and God’s blessings are not limited to them as a race, but that it is available to all who “join themselves to the Lord.” 

Isaiah’s message is clear; God’s love is for everyone.  Yet, in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says his mission is to recover the lost sheep of Israel.  In reflecting upon this reading, I realized that one of the reasons I sometimes struggle with Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus is that his humanity shows through.  He gets angry and frustrated, he gets distracted.  I want Christ to be above the fray, not guilty of losing his temper, not subject to the human frailties that sometimes cause us to be too focused on what we’ve set out to do that we forget to notice the needs of those around us. 

This lesson reminds us that Jesus was human, but it also reminds us that our relationship with God is not a one-way street.  God responds to us and to our needs.  Jesus does initially ignore the woman when she is being rude and shooting.  In fact, her approach in that day might even have been considered hostile.  Yet, once she kneels down before him and pleads for mercy, he enters into true conversation with her. 

It is as if she begins by telling him what to do – as we often do in our prayers – God do this, do that, then when she approaches him with humility, she truly engages Jesus in conversation.  That is also when we see Jesus respond with compassion and heal her daughter.  He sees in her a great faith – and he gives her more than a few crumbs, he gives her what she wanted all along.

From this, we could conclude that we must approach God with a humble heart if we are to get what we want – or even need.  I don’t think this is the case, however.  Sometimes we need to shout, and that’s okay – God knows our needs even before we ask.  And sometimes we need to shout and express our anger at what has happened to us or those whom we love. 

This reading has a great deal to teach us.  The first is that we need to have a conversation with God – even if it begins with shouting.  The second is that our conversation, or our prayers, can make a difference.  And the third is that at one point or another, we must kneel humbly before God and accept that what happens and what needs to happen is not up to us. God’s will – not our will be done.

Let us pray.

Ever loving God, we give thanks that you sent your Son to us, to live and die as one of us.  We humbly beseech you to be with us through all the struggles of this life.  Help us to see the needs of those around us, to recognize all people as your children and remain faithful to you in prayer.  Lord, so fill us with your grace that we might know the healing power of your love and be able to reach out as Christians to others.    We pray in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen

August 7, 2011

A man goes to work like he has for years. He’s asked to report to the office only to learn that due to cut backs he’s been laid off. He’s afraid if he’ll be able to support his family and find another job in today’s economy. Our parish secretary comes to work only to find out a water pipe burst flooding half of the building two weeks before the Bishop is set to visit. Talk about worry. A teen gets a text mistakenly and discovers his friends have been making fun of him behind his back. He’s angry, hurt, and fears if he can trust them again. A woman finds herself having no energy, unable to work. A cloud of depression has made her afraid to even get out of bed. An elderly man has to use what income he has to pay his electric bill instead of buying groceries. He’s afraid the 100 degree weather will continue to last and that he’ll have little to no food. Fear has a way of entering all our lives. The small fears of life can be handled but too many of them can weigh us down making life more difficult than it already is. The larger fears of life can crash into our lives making us feel powerless, hopeless, and lost. We  even wonder if we’ll make it through our fears alive.

Fear is a part of life. We all know what it’s like when the world turns upside down in an instant. Fear has of way of raining on all our parades.

In today’s Gospel we meet Jesus after he has fed the five thousand and dealt with the death of John the Baptist. Perhaps this is why Jesus needs to stop and pray. So, Jesus tells the disciples to get in a boat and go on ahead; he’ll catch up. The disciples cross a sea that’s 13 miles wide and 8 miles long.  After fighting the wind all night long just trying to get to the other side the disciples see a ghost. They’re scared like never before in their lives. Suddenly the disciples are cast into an Alfred Hitchcock movie or a scene from The Ghost Hunters. The sea the disciples cross, one could say, is very much like life. Beautiful and yet also full of danger and fear that can strike without warning.

A few weeks ago a family of seven was taking turns spending night and day with their mother in the ICU who had a massive heart attack. To make matters worse she suffered her attack at their father’s birthday party. Their mother and father had moved to this area a few years ago and were enjoying their retirement. They had worked their whole lives so they could afford to spend time together, travel, and see family. But suddenly their plans changed. She was now on a ventilator, receiving massive amounts of IV drugs, and doctors feared she had brain damage. The family was in shock; their mother had no signs of heart problems and she didn’t even have high cholesterol. Suddenly, without warning, they found themselves dealing with their greatest fear. Their father was in grief thinking somehow the excitement of his party was at fault. Her children who lived all over the country had to drop everything and drive for hours, even days to get to the hospital.

That family felt as if they were in that boat with the disciples. They were afraid; lost; fighting against forces stronger than themselves; not certain which way to turn; and believing that their world was coming to an end. Fear does that. It overpowers and frightens us. We feel lost, hopeless, and weak. For Matthew the boat is an image of the church sailing, as the disciples were doing, from one mission to the next. In Matthew’s culture water was always a symbol of chaos and danger. Matthew knew, first hand, that even when we are members of a church the fears of our lives can still crash down upon us. The church, as great and powerful as it is, is nothing when Jesus isn’t aboard.

Fear it seems is a part of life. We know, Matthew knew, what it’s like when the world turns upside down in an instant. Fear has a way of raining on all our parades.

Right in the middle of his fear Jesus reaches for Peter and pulls him out. With the water up to his neck Peter feels the strong and certain hand of the Son of God bringing him to safety. Peter finds the Lord in the midst of his fear – as we all can.

I realize, of course, that when people talk of this Gospel reading Peter is often accused of having no faith. Even Jesus himself asks Peter, why do you doubt? The problem, as it is usually put, is that Peter takes his eye off Jesus, and his faith falters. So, many say, we all should be courageous, get out of the boat and keep our eyes on Jesus. But is Jesus really scolding Peter for not “Keeping his eyes on the prize?” or is Jesus asking Peter, “don’t you know – who I am?” Too often we make this reading about Peter who can’t walk on water. Yet, Jesus reminds Peter as well as you and me - disciples belong in the boat. Leave the walking on water to the Lord. This is the first time in Matthew’s Gospel that the disciples proclaim Jesus as, “The Son of God.” In his Gospel Matthew doesn’t proclaim Jesus again as the Son of God until after the resurrection. So clearly this is not a story about weak faith but it is the revealing of a strong Lord.

As the family camped around their mother in the ICU after her heart attack I told them a story about one of my favorite authors, Fr. Henri Nouwen. A Dutch born priest Fr. Nouwen is best known for his spiritual books like, “The Wounded Healer.” Fr. Nouwen died in 1996 after suffering a heart attack. Years before Fr. Nouwen had learned he had a very bad heart condition and decided to do something he always wanted to do, go to the circus. There he saw the flying trapeze act and was captivated by their beauty, skill, and bravery. He was astonished watching their twists, summersaults, and spins while flying through the air. He was so impressed with their skill he went back stage to meet them. After telling them he could never be as brave the trapeze artist told him that the real stars of the show are not the flyers. The real star is the catcher. “You see,” the flyers told Fr. Nouwen, “If we try to catch the catcher our momentum will cause us both to fall. Instead all we have to do is let go, fly through the air, and then reach out knowing the catcher will catch us.”

At that moment, Nouwen later said, he felt a deep peace. For he knew no matter what would happen to him, no matter how many fears would crash into his life; the catcher – Jesus  – would be there reaching for him. It is in the middle of their fears that Jesus tells the disciples, “Take heart it is I.” A better translation of this verse could be, “Take heart it is - I am.” Jesus identifies himself as the Lord. This is the true message of today’s Gospel. The one true Lord of land and sea, strength and fear, is Jesus – our Lord who immediately reaches for us in the midst of our fears. Peter sinks into a sea of his fears and Jesus catches him. As the family gathered around the hospital bed of their mom they learned to gain strength from the love they had for their mom and one another and in their love Jesus caught them. We too, in the middle of all our fears, only have to reach out and Jesus will catch us.

Right in the middle of his own fears Jesus reaches for Peter and pulls him out. With the water up to his neck Peter feels the strong and certain hand of the Son of God bringing him to safety. Peter finds the Lord in the midst his fears – as we all can.

Fr. Henri Nouwen wrote, “You will discover that Jesus is right there in your fears and you will be grateful for his presence in your weakness. Ministry means to help people become grateful for life even with pain. The minister, the disciple of Jesus, goes where there is fear and pain not because he is a masochist or she is a sadist, but because God is there.” So here we are today in the boat known as the church. We may use this time together to celebrate, worship, prepare, and strengthen ourselves before we head ashore into our world as disciples. Let us give witness to a Lord who stands with us even in the midst of our fears. Let us proclaim that we serve and follow a Lord who will catch us.

July 31, 2011

Isaiah 55:1-5             Psalm 145: 8-9, 15-22         Romans 9:1-5           Matthew 14:13-21

The Revised Common Lectionary has two different tracks – or options for most of the Sunday’s in the Season after Pentecost.  The first track is a semi-continuous reading of the Old Testament followed by the Epistles and Gospel readings.  The second track is referred to as the Gospel track in which the Old Testament reading was selected because it ties in more closely with the Gospel Reading.  I have been selecting the Gospel Track each Sunday and this Sunday I admit to first being confused by the selection from Isaiah.

As I read it, the gospel selection that came to my mind was Jesus talking to the woman at the well found in the Gospel of John.  He tells her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life (John 4:13-14 NRS).”  Jesus is speaking of quenching the spiritual thirst – the thirst that brings us here each Sunday, the thirst that can only be satisfied by God’s grace which offers us life.  Throughout the Bible we have references to those things temporal and those things eternal – that which will wither and die and that which shall never die.  We are told of the need to focus our attention on the spiritual rather than the physical.

This reading from Isaiah was written when the people of Israel were in exile – its promise of a free banquet might have brought to mind a meal served as part of their burial rituals.  Viewed with this mind, the message to God’s people is that God offers them eternal life, “I will make you an everlasting covenant” God says.  The life offered is the life Jesus offers the woman at the well in the living water.  Both promise us a spiritual life that is eternal and reminds us to focus our attention on those things spiritual.

Though I might like the match between this passage in Isaiah and the woman at the well – it is paired with Matthew’s telling of the feeding of the five thousand.  The feeding of the five thousand is not another example of Jesus speaking of the need to feed one’s soul – it is an example of his compassion and his recognition that humans have physical needs that must be addressed.

Having said that, there is one verse in Matthew’s telling of this story I would like to bring to your attention.  In verse 19, Jesus instructs the people gathered to sit down upon the grass.  In Greek the verse reads Jesus “orders the crowd to lie down on the grass” – or put another way, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures . . .” which is a verse from Psalm 23.  The feeding of the five thousand can be seen in light of this Psalm which we recite at most of our burial rituals.  The 23^rd Psalm makes reference to a heavenly banquet prepared by our Lord, our shepherd. 

Viewing the feeding of the five thousand as the enactment of the 23^rd Psalm gives us a fresh view of this miracle and helps us connect this feeding of the body with the feeding of our souls. 

Jesus recognized the needs of the flesh and he had compassion –he did not limit his healing to the driving out of spiritual demons, he healed the sick and raised the dead.  He knew that the people gathered with him that day came because they were spiritually hungry and he knew they needed to be fed physically as well. 

We are called to drink the living water that Christ offers – but we are also called to feed the hungry and give water to those who thirst.  God created the physical as well as the spiritual – so both are important.  At times, the scriptures stress the need to turn from the physical and focus on the spiritual – but in the feeding of the five thousand we are taught to care for our bodies as well.  The key is balance.  We need balance in our lives:  socially, financially, physically, and spiritually. 

A tenant of the Episcopal Faith is that we believe Christ is physically present here today in everyone we meet.  After all, in our baptismal covenant we promise to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.”  We are not called by Christ to discount our lives in the present and to live for the promise of life in the future – we are called by Christ to live in the present.

A young lady who attended Camp Mitchell recently shared an experience with me of having been a part of a group that was instructed as they said the Nicene Creed to sit every time something was said they did not believe.  She sat down when they read “On the third day [Christ] rose again.”   Afterward a friend said to her – “how can you not believe in the resurrection; don’t you get it, we are the resurrected Christ.” 

If that is true, it is frightening – isn’t it?  To think that we are the resurrected Christ, with all our shortcomings, it paints a poor view of Christ and the resurrection – doesn’t it?  Or, did that young lady’s friend understand more clearly than most what the Apostle Paul meant when he spoke of the church as the Body of Christ in the world?  I am certainly not the resurrected Christ and neither is any one person I know – but the church does have that potential.  When the church is doing what Christ has called us to do – then we are the resurrected Christ.  And, if we truly seek and serve Christ in all persons, then we do so with the understanding that Christ is within each of us.  So, insomuch as we are able to submit our will to that of Christ and do as Christ would have us do – we are the resurrected Christ.

There is an observation I read about this miracle that I want to share with you.  I think it makes this point even clearer.  Jesus did not feed the five thousand – the disciples did!  Jesus blessed what they  had and gave it to the disciples and instructed them to feed the crowd.  The very disciples who suggested to Jesus that he send the crowds away, the very disciples who said there was not enough food – had the faith to do as Christ told them to do and as a result, with Christ working through them, there was food left over! 

As a church we are not asked to take stock of our resources and then do what we can – we are asked to serve others.  Whether we do so in prayer, or we share the money that we’ve earned through fund raisers, or we take Angel Food orders and then distribute the food on Saturday’s in the heat of the summer as we did yesterday, or we host a fund raiser to help local charities raise needed funds to continue their ministries – we are called to be Christ’s presence in this world. 

Let us pray.

Our Lord, we give thanks for the love you have shared with us and the opportunities we have to share it with others.  So fill us with your grace that we might submit to your will, and do those things you would have us to do in our community and in the world.  All this we ask in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

July 24, 2011

1 Kings 3:5-12       Psalm 119:129-136       Romans 8:26-39   Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

The kingdom of God is like . . . how would you finish this sentence?  Jesus doesn’t say the kingdom of God is – rather he says it is like . . .  Why?  Why did Jesus not tell us what the kingdom of God is?  Could it be that the kingdom of God is beyond our comprehension?

My Old Testament professor noted that whenever the people of Israel attempted to define God, they got into trouble.  “God is always bigger than we can imagine,” he would say.  Still we try to understand God – which might be like a man trying to understand a woman.  A woman is always more complicated than a man might assume. 

“The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.”  This metaphor is the one that sticks in my mind – a mustard seed, representing the smallest of seeds that grows into one of the largest of plants.  It is a particularly important metaphor for the kingdom of God if we know that it was a weed and planting it might have even been forbidden by Jewish Law. 

The other metaphors – the kingdom is like the yeast that causes the bread dough to rise, the treasure found hidden in the field, the merchant in search of a fine pearl, a net that catches fish of every kind – these reflect something wonderful – but a weed that will consume quite a bit of valuable garden space, why is God’s kingdom like a weed? 

The answer is found in what God does with the weed.  Remember the verse from Psalm 118, “The stone which the builder rejected has become the chief cornerstone (22)?”  It is a verse that Jesus himself quotes.  God takes what we might not consider worthy and creates a habitat – a shelter for the birds – which are a part of God’s creation, God’s kingdom. 

How often do we consider something or someone a nuisance?  How often do we judge someone as not worthy of our attention?  What if we were to finish the sentence: “The kingdom of God is like that person?”  How might that change our view of our world?

Christ is the corner stone which the builders of the Jewish faith rejected – yet he has become the chief cornerstone of our faith.  Jesus did not shun the poor, the sick, the tax collector or the soldier.  Jesus knew that they were a part of God’s kingdom – they were worthy of his love and attention and they, too, needed shelter. 

It did not take long for Jesus to turn from the traditional expectations of a prophet, a Holy Man, to be a teacher and begin building God’s kingdom among those who were considered a waste of space – healing the sick and dining with sinners.  From his example we might conclude, “The kingdom of God is like the homeless, the hopeless the poor, the outcasts.”  And that means that through them God’s kingdom can be realized.  Like the birds of the air, they need and deserve a space in God’s garden. 

It sounds impossible that the homeless can help bring about God’s kingdom, doesn’t it?  When working in a homeless program in Atlanta, a man came to me needing $20-$30 for bus fare to get home.   He had come to Atlanta on the promise of a job and a place to stay – but found that his friend was just high and telling a good story.  Rather than risk staying with his 'friend', he came asking for bus fare home.  That night, and for every night the next week, he stayed in homeless shelters waiting for just one church or mission to approve his request for bus fare.  Meanwhile, I was able to provide him with local bus fare as he tried to get a day labor job to earn the money himself.  He wore the same shirt each time he came to see me, washing it in the sink each night and hanging it on his bunk to dry. 

When help finally came through for him, he came by to thank me for my help – I said I hadn’t done much, but he countered – you cared & you tried.   He talked about his plans to get involved with a church back home where people had been inviting him to join – he used his time as a homeless man in Atlanta to re-evaluate his life and he was ready to change his life’s focus.

I felt privileged to be invited into his life in such a personal way.   I was often tempted to give him the money he needed out of my own pocket, but somehow managed to resist the temptation to “break the rules” where I was working and watched him grow and learn from his mistake (this was not the first time he had been stranded after going somewhere in search of a bigger paycheck).

He not only befriended me, but he offered a naïve seminary student good advice on how to stay safe.  We connected and I’m a better person for having known him.  I still pray that after he returned he followed through with his resolve and is now finding relationships to be more important than big paychecks.

Many of those who worked at Crossroads Ministry had first come there as clients.  They were not earning very much, but they were helping others to overcome addictions, find food and shelter and get a new start on life. 

Rabbi Harold Kushner says that when we are young we want to be successful – we want to make money, advance in our careers; but when we get older we want to make a difference.  When we spend time with others in need, we do make a difference and this meets, what Kushner would describe as, a basic human need. 

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it 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.

Notice that the mustard seed was intentionally planted, and notice that it provides a home for some of God’s creation. 

We can plant the seed, as the men and women working at Crossroads Ministry do every day, but it is God who makes the smallest of seeds grow into a place of shelter.  Our Food Pantry is an example of one way we are planting seeds.  The support we offer Center for Hope through my discretionary fund is another example. As a church we should always be asking ourselves – what seed is God calling upon us to sow in our community? 

From this parable, we know that what we see as weeds can be used to help bring about God’s kingdom.  Our challenge, then, is to see others as gifts from God capable of far more than we can imagine. 

Let us pray.

God and creator of all, guide us, we pray that we might sow the seeds of your choosing.  Help us to have faith that what we sow will be nurtured by your love and mature to produce shelter for all who come to you in need.  We ask this in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

July 17, 2011

Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19          Psalm 86:11-17          Romans 8:12-25          Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

When asked how to pray, Jesus taught his disciples what we now refer to as the Lord’s Prayer.  “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy Kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven.”  This part of the prayer, “thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven,” is often overlooked by us as Christians.  We look forward to the promise of eternal life and neglect to do our part in bringing about God’s kingdom – here, now – “on earth as it is in heaven."  Bringing about God’s kingdom is one of the central messages found in Christ’s teachings.

Our focus as Christians should not be on the afterlife or even eternal life; it needs to be to live in the kingdom.  And living in the moment, Jesus reminds us with this parable, means that there is evil in our midst, and we need not concern ourselves with that.  The wise gardener knows that the weeds can be separated from the wheat at harvest time.  Any other course of action would eliminate any hope of a good harvesting.

Some read this lesson and concern themselves with the harvest – they fear being among the weeds that will be thrown into the fire.  I don’t read it this way.  I don’t believe Jesus is trying to scare people into good behavior. 

Rather, Jesus is telling us that we may live our lives in the quiet confidence that God will sort it out – it is not up to us.  The parable suggests that at the harvest, God will separate the good people from the bad people – but that hardly seems possible and it is certainly not consistence with our understanding about the salvation offered to us by Christ himself. 

As we say in one form of our Eucharistic Prayer, Jesus offered himself, “a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.”  We are imperfect beings.   Not one of us is without fault, so we would all wind up in the fire if not for Christ.  Christ offers us eternal life by offering himself as the one who will be thrown into the fire.  How should knowing this affect our reading of this scripture?

Jesus explains the parable to his disciples saying that the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of God, and the bad seeds are the children of the evil one – but who among us is pure and innocent?   Who among us is completely evil?  Jesus also said that at the end of the age, “the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers and they will throw them into the furnace of fire.”  The evil will be separated from the good and the evil will be destroyed. 

If we consider the field to be ourselves, that we are capable of good and evil thoughts and acts, the parable gives us a lot to think about.  As people we are neither weeds nor wheat, neither good nor evil – we are both.  In the end, then, Christ’s angels promise to help sort out our lives and bring only the best of who we are to God – the weeping and gnashing of teeth will be our own as we let go of all that separates us from the love of God - our pride, our arrogance, our greed, our belief that we can do it on our own without God's help.  

Let’s take a step back now, and view the field as our church.  We are wheat and weeds, individually and collectively.  In the parable, the workers ask the owner of the field if he wishes for them to gather the weeds, but he says no – if they try to do it now, they will be throwing out the good with the bad.  Instead, he says they will sort it out at the harvest.  Personally, I’ve never been a successful gardener.  In some of my attempts I do remember having trouble telling the difference between what I had planted and the weeds when they first sprouted.  And I can remember doing just what the owner had said – putting up the good plants along with the weeds. 

So the owner’s instructions make perfect sense to me – separating the good from the bad at the harvest.  Still it is difficult to do – we see something in someone that seems wrong and we want to fix it.  We want to rush the process and be the judge – but we are not the judge.  Jesus seems to be saying, we need to be patient with each other, focus our energy on doing what is right and what is good.

But what of this “thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven?”  Are we to wait for the Judgment Day?  I dare say that Judgment Day says more about who is responsible for passing judgment – God – than it does about when we are to be judged.  We are to trust that Christ will reconcile us all to God – will separate the evil from the good.  And, we are not to judge our neighbor! 

Personally, I think there is something very freeing about this.  I can accept myself for who I am, sins and all, and I can accept others for who they are.  Then, I can turn my attention on that which is good and positive and strive to do my part in bringing about God’s kingdom here on earth. 

As a church we can focus on what we might have done wrong in the past, or we can focus on the fact that the Holy Spirit is now at work here building up the body of Christ.  Last week, in my sermon, I talked about a period in our church’s history when membership was declining.  For some, this brought back memories – painful memories.  I mentioned that last year, the men’s group raised $5,000 to cover a deficit in our budget.  I failed to mention that if it were not for the Episcopal Church Women, we would have contributed very little to outreach.  I should have, because both groups helped us begin the process of rebuilding this church – a church that is capable of taking care of itself and others.

I did not attempt to explain the reason for the difficulties this church was facing prior to last year.  The church as a whole – not just St. Andrew’s, has been experiencing a decline for the past couple of decades.  External and internal stresses combined are a near deadly combination.  Yet, in the midst of the chaos, the hope of reconciliation is what promises new life.  We cannot change the past, nor should we forget it. 

The story of this church might reflect the resurrection of our Lord.  After a period of successful ministry in the community, external forces and internal conflict within the Jewish Community combined and lead to the crucifixion of Jesus.  But then, he rose from the death offering new life to all who believed in him. 

St. Andrew’s was not crucified, but it was negatively impacted by external forces and internal conflict.  We can focus our attention on all that went wrong – things done and left undone, things said or not said, or we can accept the forgiveness that Christ offered upon the cross and celebrate in the resurrection of this body of Christ. 

The hope of the resurrection reminds us that no matter how full of weeds our fields may be, Christ forgives our sins and is here to harvest the good within us.   The Day of Judgment is not a point in the future, it is now!  Through the work of the Holy Spirit, the good and the evil within us is being separated.  We must decide whether we will look toward the light of Christ, or the fire of destruction.  We are a people of the resurrection, and our future is bright.  Not one of us is worthy to receive communion, except by the grace of God which is working within each of us to bring about God’s kingdom – here and now.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, you have offered us the promise of redemption.  Strengthen our faith, that we might turn toward the light and join together in prayer, worship, fellowship, and in service to others.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

July 10, 2011

Isaiah 55:10-13     Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14     Romans 8:1-11     Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23

In our church year, we are in the season after Pentecost – sometimes referred to as Ordinary Time. The liturgical color is green – symbolizing a time of growth. In this season we read lessons of Jesus’ teachings and ministry. Given the fact that our gospel lesson this Sunday is of the sower of the seeds, and the next two Sundays will include parables involving seeds – the color green seems appropriate. Like the plants, planted in the spring, our faith is to be nurtured so that it might grow. The people hearing parables about planting seeds and harvesting crops could identify with what Jesus was teaching, even if they were not always able to fully comprehend his message.

The prophet Isaiah, too, uses an agricultural metaphor to tell us that God’s love provides us what we need, like the rain and snow that come from heaven and does not return until it has watered the plants. These are the very plants that produce the grains needed to be made into flour and used by the baker to bake bread for our nourishment. Isaiah says that his words shall not return empty, for the Word of God goes forth in you in joy and comes back in peace.

Isaiah’s words are reflected in the hymn, “God is working his purpose out” (which we just sang before I read the Gospel Reading). Isaiah speaks of creation, not as a finished product, but as a work in progress. In the hymn, it says, God is working his purpose out, and the time is drawing near; nearer and nearer draws the time that shall surely be, when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.”

It is no coincidence that the color of this season is green – it is a sign for us that God is working his purpose out and a reminder that Christ offers us new life even after the harsh realities of a cold and barren winter.

In Matthew, Jesus speaks to what is needed for our faith to sustain us when he tells the parable of the sower of seeds. The sower (God) spreads his seeds (God's love) with wild abandon. God is not worried about yield, but loves freely all of creation. We are like the soil – some of us are like the path trampled down and too hardened for the seeds to take root and the birds carry the seeds away. Some of us are like the rocky ground in which the seeds take root, but our lives are too cluttered and we don’t have the depth for our faith to grow and withstand the heat of the day. Others of us are like the thorny patch in which the seeds take hold and begin to grow, but are choked out by the weeds of the distractions that surround our new found faith. The reality of life is harsh – there is evil and there are circumstances in our world which make it nearly impossible for our faith to grow and flourish.

If we are like the rich soil, we can rejoice, for our faith can grow and produce a hundred fold. Then with God’s grace, we can share in abundance and without fear – for we know the source of our strength is God. One reading of this parable might give the impression that our fate is pre-determined – after all, we are what we are. We are a path, rocky soil, a patch of weeds, or we are blessed to be among the rich soil.

That is not the message of this parable. No, it could be if that were the only parable Jesus told – but it isn’t. Elsewhere Jesus tells of a gardener who cares for the soil so that a barren tree might bear fruit. This parable of the sower of the seeds, therefore, speaks to the need for us to prepare the soil of our hearts that we might receive the love of Christ and that it might grow within us and that we might bear fruit and yield a hundredfold.

Two years ago this congregation was struggling – Sunday attendance had declined each year from 2005 through the summer of 2009. The men’s group had to raise $5,000 to cover operating expenses in 2010. I must admit I was afraid that the soil was not rich enough to support a full time priest. Whether the soil was too rocky or the weeds where choking the life out of this church I didn’t know. Yet, the image of a tree growing out of a cliff helped me to know that it was not up to me to turn this church around. If a tree can grow out of a rock, than the Holy Spirit can breathe new life into a struggling church – and that is what happened.

St. Andrew’s is once again growing. Our budget, though modest, is sustaining us this year – without fundraisers. We can now turn our attention to sharing our wealth in this community. We have already had two wonderfully successful fundraisers – supporting the Mountain Home Food Basket and events at Camp Mitchell – and we have a fund raiser planned for October to support local charities.

God is working his purpose out right here at St. Andrew’s and our members are growing in faith. Over one third of you are participating in our Divine Dinners – home Bible Studies. About one fourth of those attending services participate in our Adult Forum, and the number of you individually volunteering in the community is a testimony to the fact that your faith is bearing fruit.

Still as a church we can never forget that from the beginning of humanity we have been charged with the responsibility to help build God’s kingdom. To go forth and multiple, to have dominion over the earth is a responsibility given to Adam and Eve that we are to continue. This is not about increasing the world’s population; it is about spreading the Good News of God’s love. So we must do what Isaiah directs us to do, “go out in joy, and be led back in peace.” Once the soil has been prepared and we have received the love of Christ within us, our job is to bear fruit. God is working his purpose out here at St. Andrew's but the job is not finished, it has just begun.

Let us pray.

Heavenly Father, you are the source of true life and love. So fill us with your grace that we may thankfully give ourselves to serve your church and to share your love with others. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

July 3, 2011

June 26, 2011

Matthew 10: 34-42

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in thy sight, O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer.

"No man is worthy of me who cares more for father and mother than for me; No man is worthy of me who cares more for son or daughter; No man is worthy of me who does not take up his Cross and walk in my footsteps.”

This morning’s appointed Gospel Reading tells us that a multitude of people had come to hear Jesus. Some people in that crowd were spiritually excited. Most of them were probably out for a weekend holiday very much like the people of today. Very much like us in the remote parts of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas, there wasn’t much else to do - especially on a Sunday morning, other than to be in Church or watching TV.

Well, Jesus kind of brings them all up short when he declared - If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, even his own life; He cannot be my Disciple. In its context, this is the last installment of the Matthean missionary charge to the twelve. It embraces three groupings of materials. The first 2 clearly go together as they concern the fuller cost of Discipleship. The first warns that Discipleship may involve the breaking of family ties. The second warns that taking up the cross may involve the Disciples’ death - followed by the third which has to do with the followers behaviors of reception.

The harshness of Jesus’ words must have bothered many, but it was Jesus’ way of making His point very clear by overstating it.       It was rather like a Newspaper Headline in large bold face print which repeated the First and Great Commandment - “Thou shalt have no other Gods before me!”

Those who were and are upset by Jesus’ command to hate parents, spouse and their children, seldom notice the last person He mentions. “If anyone does not hate self; his own life, he cannot be my Disciple!”

Like I said in a sermon at another Church just a few weeks ago; Jesus declares that all things are a matter of our priority. To follow Jesus on the Way of the Cross means to surrender our whole life to Him and not just that part which we usually relegate to Him on Sunday mornings. Any other relationship which interferes with this primary commitment must be hated!

Jesus’ admonition is to be seen as a statement of the precedence of devotion to God over all else; even our very family ties.

A true Disciple is to act as though he hated loved ones whenever the claims of home came into conflict with and over the claims of Jesus.

The whole thrust of today’s Gospel reading is to be interpreted in terms of priority and the true cost of Discipleship. Self interest or selfishness can play no role in following Jesus in the way of the Cross. It has been said that selfishness or over indulgence in self-interest is the great unknown sin in that no selfish person ever thinks of himself as selfish.

Sin is often visible to the whole world; yet its questions are entirely about us. I can recall a young man who applied for a job at a local theater as an Usher. It was just a summer job during his time away from college. Yet when it came to his employment interview, he was asked - “What would you do if the theater caught on fire?” The young man replied - “Oh you don’t have to worry about me - I’d find a way to get out!”

Self interest first - then comes me and my wife, followed by my son and his wife ….. us four and no more! Oh wait a moment, God too - He’s the fifth I’d add to that list in that order. You know that is just about how it all goes! Just where does God or Jesus fit into this tidy little family of our true priority rankings?

How far would Jesus have gotten if he had to check on His Apostles in terms of priority to be assured each time they would be where they were supposed to be?

What time of triumphal entry would it have been that Palm Sunday had His Disciples forgotten to provide the colt that He had requested?

Imagine how difficult it would have been to gather 12 Apostles together at the Last Supper if Jesus had to follow up on each one to be certain He fit into their priority to be there. 

How far would Christianity have come after the Resurrection if all the Disciples were not fully committed and made Him their first priority?

Like St. Paul in his imprisonment letters implied - “How many Christians would be jailed today because of their extreme devotion to the Lord?

In keeping with that thought and in the echoes from the Gospel passage read this morning - St. Paul would ask us today - “If you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Let Us Pray

Holy Father, we thank thee for the light of the Gospel that continues to shine in our world. We also thank thee for all who have walked therein and carried their own personal crosses to your Heavenly gates and especially for those dear to us, in whose lives we have seen thy Glory shining forth on their walks to the Cross of Calvary!    Amen

June 19, 2011 - Trinity Sunday

One of my favorite shows on PBS has to be the Antique Road Show. It’s successful probably because we all love to watch someone discover that the blanket that hung on the back of their recliner for the past thirty years is really an early American quilt worth a million dollars. Suddenly we’re filled with the strange urge to look through the attic, closets, the garage, hoping we’ll find something of great value. It’s really fun to watch that magic moment when someone discovers they have something of great value. Yet, very often, the people on Antiques Road Show never sell their prized possessions. Often it’s because that Chinese vase, that old painting, that piece of jewelry, is a family heirloom. It belonged to great, great grandparents. It’s more than just an object of value - it represents family tradition and family history. It has a story that reminds us who we are and where we came from. And we remember that true treasure cannot be sold or bought. Real wealth is not found in possessions, but in belonging.

No matter who you are or where you were born the need to belong is something we all hold in common. As the saying goes, no one is an island. We need community, to feel that we are connected and not alone.

A common problem in our world today is isolation. People are far more socially isolated today than they were two decades ago, and studies show that a sharply growing number of people say they have no one in whom they can confide. Over a quarter of people say they have no one with whom they can connect with. Overall, the number of close friends people have has dropped from around three to about two.

The Presbyterian minister Diogenes Allen asked people far and wide to describe their experiences of belonging and then wrote a book simply titled, “Love.” My favorite story in that book was from a young woman who described her experience as a little girl sitting on her father's lap in a small church as her mother read the Christmas story from St. Luke's Gospel. She would listen to those familiar words, "And there were shepherds keeping watch o'er their flocks by night...And lo, an angel came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them...." At that moment the little girl said she felt at home. The message of the Gospel, her mother's voice, her father's embrace all told her she was loved, and she knew, even more so, that her families love for her was a mirror of God's love for her. She felt connected to her parents, her church, and God and she never felt more at peace. She knew she belonged.

No matter who you are or where you came from feeling like you belong is something we all hold in common. As the saying goes, no one is an island. We need community, to feel that we are connected and not alone.

The creation story is all about belonging. I know we argue over if we were created or did we evolve but the Genesis story wasn’t written to prove how we are made, but why we were made. The writer of Genesis wanted to remind us to whom we belong.

In the movie Toy Story the main character is a toy cowboy named Woody. Woody is loyal, trustworthy, and your best friend. In every Toy Story movie no matter how dangerous life becomes Woody and his friends are able to hang onto one thing that reminds them who they are and where they belong. Their trust in that one thing keeps them together and reminds them they’ll never be alone. It’s only one thing that keeps Woody filled with hope and he holds onto to it. That one thing is a hand written name on the bottom of his cowboy boot – “Andy.” The name of Woody’s owner. No matter how lost Woody gets, how afraid or alone he feels, he knows he belongs to Andy and Andy belongs to him.

The creation story was written to remind us all to whom we belong. We belong to God and God has chosen us as His own. My grandmother used to say, “We all have the fingerprints of God all over us.” We are made in God’s image and all creation, from the tiniest creeping insect to the vast ocean; all proclaim we are members of the family of God. I bet if we look hard enough at the bottom of our souls we would see the name of our maker – God.

The creation story is all about belonging. Genesis wasn’t written to prove how we were made but why we were made. We were created to belong; belong to one another, belong to God – whose name is written on the bottom of our souls.

Even the Trinity in all its mystery is all about belonging. The Creator is one with the Redeemer who is one with the Spirit. For centuries theologians have tried to explore the riddle of the three persons in one God, which is an important undertaking, yet mysteries are meant to be experienced not contained.

And this Trinity Sunday we also celebrate Father’s Day; a day when we take time to celebrate that if mother’s nurture us; father’s nature us. Father’s nature us by giving us roots, a heritage, and a legacy. The men and women who have fathered us have given us our connections. Father’s have shared with us their story and we continue to tell the tale of our lives. The same may be true for the Trinity. Like our dad’s, the creator is the one in whom we are rooted. Even Jesus refers to himself as the branch to which we are connected to. And the Spirit is the one who moves within our diversity and allows us to sing in harmony.

A few days ago in the hospital there was a knock on my office door. Looking through the window of my door I could see a Hispanic woman, man, teenage boy, and a young girl about six. I waved to them to come in and as they entered they handed me a piece of paper reading, “These people do not speak English but the mother has an ultra sound at BRMC at 12:30.” The note was signed by their neighbor who lives in Salem. The family was lost, couldn’t communicate and was looking rather scared. With hand gestures I told them to follow me. I took them to admissions where they just ran out of the Spanish hospital forms. Then we couldn’t connect, due to phone problems, with an interpreter. Knowing it was only 11:30 and we had to wait for an interpreter I took them to the cafeteria for lunch. As we all eat we could only sit quietly and smile to one another as I tried what little Spanish I knew. Suddenly it occurred to me to identify myself as “Padre” at that moment the whole family made the sign of the cross and I did as well. It was at that moment that the Trinity brought us together. We couldn’t speak; we even didn’t know one another. But we all were marked by the same Triune God.

Even the Trinity in all its mystery is all about belonging. The Creator is one with the Redeemer who is one with the Spirit. And it is the oneness of God that connects us to one another.

So what do we take from this this Trinity morning? I’m smart enough to know you’re going to take from it what you will. But here is what I hope you’ll take from it. The connection between the Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit is their scared bond of love. This bond gives the Trinity its power and purpose. Like the Trinity, we too have a bond between us – a connection that’s beyond measure and price. For we are truly indeed covered with the fingerprints of God and signed forever as God’s own.

June 15, 2011 - Tom Baker's Reception of Orders

Today is a special date, indeed!  It is a day, Tom, you will need to remember always.  For as clergy, you will be among an elect group of citizens in our country for whom today is the day to file your quarterly tax return.   How fortunate for you that it is also the day you are to be received into our church as a priest – since it is always easier to remember an anniversary when it falls on such an important day.

In my Spirituality for Ministry course in Seminary, the Rev. Julia Gatta made it clear that to be called to the priesthood was to be set apart from the laity to fulfill certain functions of the church.  Being set apart in no way implies you are to be considered better than anyone here – it just defines what you are called to do in Christ’s church.  You know that.  In our discussions leading up to today, you shared with me your belief that all Christians are called to share in the royal priesthood, the priesthood of all believers.  And that’s a good thing – because today’s lessons set a high standard for us.

First we have the Old Testament reading in which the prophet Isaiah shares his story of seeing the Lord sitting on his throne.  Isaiah is naturally frightened, and he says, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips” – having learned, no doubt, as a young boy to say words that his mother would have preferred he had never learned.  A seraph flies to him and touches his lips with a hot coal.  If that had happened to me, I feel certain it would have prompted me to say a few of those choice words, thus proving me to be a man of unclean lips.  Then the seraph tells the prophet his sins are forgiven.  When next, the Lord asks, “Whom shall I send?” Isaiah says without hesitation, “Here am I; send me.” 

The entire experience was truly amazing for Isaiah, but I suspect that what was the most difficult for him to believe was not that he saw the Lord, or that his sins were forgiven.  I don’t think it was even that he volunteered for the mission.   No, I believe the most amazing part of this experience for him must have been that the Lord chose him to go.  Nearly two years ago as I sat where you are sitting today, I found myself in utter amazement that I was about to become a priest in the Episcopal Church.  And I suspect you feel that way now.  It has been a long and sometimes painful process that has lead you here. 

You have had to share your faith journey with many people before being recommended to serve as a priest in this church.  I expect that you have some understanding of what Isaiah must have felt standing before the throne of the Lord, and today you have that sense of what it feels like to have your past put aside so that you can move forward and, in a few minutes, stand before the bishop and be received as a priest in this church – chosen by the people of Christ’s church to serve once again at the altar.  The process of selecting clergy for our church was, for many of us who now serve as priests and deacons – and perhaps even the one of us who now serves as our bishop, was not an easy one as we had to relate to others the events in our lives that shaped our faith.  I’ve never met a person whose journey was filled with only joyous occasions.  We’ve all had our trials and tribulations – experiences that have made us who were are today. 

Tom, you felt your call to ordained ministry at an early age.  You were a young man when you were ordained a priest.  From our conversations, I know that leaving the Catholic priesthood was extremely difficult – even though you did not leave the ministry.  You have encountered many bumps on the road to this day, but today you are being given the opportunity to say, “Here am I; send me.” You’ve said this before, so this time it is not that you are answering your call to serve as a priest, rather you are now volunteering to continue your service as a priest in the Episcopal Church.  And this time, you have a wife and a family here with you to support you and to affirm your call to serve God in our church. 

In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, these five verses we read tonight contain everything you need to do to be an effective priest:  rejoice always, let your gentleness be known to EVERYONE, do not worry about ANYTHING, let your requests (not concerns because you are not to be worried about anything), let your requests be known to God with THANKSGIVING, let God’s peace guard your heart and mind, and Paul says, “FINALLY, beloved, whatever is true,  whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think  about these things.”  Paul seems to be saying that if you follow this simple plan on how to live your life, “the peace of God will be with you.”

It reminds me of the 80’s hit, “Don’t worry, be happy.”  Good and noble advice, but not so easy.  Since leaving the Catholic Church, you have worked in health care where “don’t worry” seems an impossible task.  Not to argue with the great Apostle Paul, but I think what we heard is backwards – not only for a priest, but for all of us.  When we have the peace of God, we may not be able to escape worry altogether, but we can face whatever is before us with the confidence that God’s peace will indeed guard our hearts and minds as Paul suggests.  When we focus on what is honorable, just and pure, we can pray with genuine thanksgiving for God’s gifts.

Our faith in Jesus Christ puts the troubles that those we serve experience, in perspective.  We know that their troubles will pass, for we have experienced trouble and we have experienced God’s peace.  So, through faith, we are able to live in thanksgiving to God in the midst of the struggles of this live.  Paul did not assume life to be easy, but he was convinced that we can live in peace in the midst of despair – if we trust in God. 

Tom, since pursuing your call to ordained life, you have remained faithful to that call.  You have served God in ministry as a priest in the Catholic Church, then as a chaplain in hospices, retirement facilities and hospitals.  And now, you have found a new home for your ministry – the Episcopal Church. 

In our gospel reading today, Jesus is going from city to city teaching and healing.  Matthew says Jesus had compassion for the people because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Jesus is the great Shepherd and those who are called to serve as priests in his church – wherever that might be, are called to shepherd his flock.  Tom, your flock consists of those who come to the hospital for healing.  Therefore, the reception of your orders today does not represent a change in your call, only its expansion.  With the reception of your orders, the Episcopal Church celebrates your ministry with the hospital AND welcomes you at the altar of our church to lead us in the great celebration of the Holy Eucharist. 

We rejoice with you today and we give thanks to God for calling you to serve in our church.  And, if the thought of expanding your ministry seems a bit overwhelming – just remember the message from Paul:  focus your attention on what is true, honorable, just and pure.  And if that doesn't work –just remember:  “Don’t worry, be happy.”

Let us pray.

Gracious and loving God, may your good work begun in Tom be continued as he assumes the responsibility of a priest in the Episcopal Church.  May all who are present here tonight to support him and to celebrate this event, renew our commitment along with him to serve others in the name of Christ Jesus.  We pray to you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

June 12, 2011

Acts 2:1-21              1 Corinthians 12:3b-13         John 20:19-23               Psalm 104:25-35, 37

Last week we read in the Gospel of John that the disciples witnessed the ascension of Christ and returned to where they had been staying – they gathered together as the faithful few who knew the risen Christ.  Before Christ was taken up to heaven in a cloud, he told the disciples they were to be his witnesses throughout the world.  Yet, before the disciples went forth to do what he had said, they retreated, as Christ often did himself to pray.  The disciples retreated to prepare themselves.

The scripture in Acts between last week and this week tells the story of how the disciples selected a 12^th apostle to replace Judas.  So, the disciples witness the ascension of Christ, and return to the upper room where they are staying.  They pray and they get organized.  Then, in the midst of a gathering, the Holy Spirit descends upon them and so we say the church is born.

My World Literature Professor in College, in explaining a form of Eastern Thought said, “A king is only a king when he is kinging.”  To be a king, he was saying, requires action – the idea is that a title is earned.  Using that same logic, we might say that the church is only a church when it is reaching out into the world spreading God’s Kingdom.   We can say that the church was born on Pentecost because it was on that day that its members stopped preparing to spread the Good News and started sharing it with others. 

Think of it this way, it is much like starting a car – the car will not move until you start the engine.  You turn the key and as the starter turns the pistons, sparks ignite the fuel and the motor starts.  Then and only then, can the engine generate the power needed to move the car forward.  On Pentecost, the people gathered received the spark they needed to get started.  They received the Holy Spirit and they understood what needed to be done. 

If you don’t like the engine analogy, think of it as the difference between personal and corporate prayer.  Our personal prayers are just that, they are personal – often centered around ourselves and those closest to us.  They arise out of our own consciousness.  Corporate prayers, the prayers we pray together with others, arise out of all our concerns.  For example, on the prayer list in our bulletin are the names of many people I’ve never met – but they are there because of a connection they share with someone gathered here.  Added to those names are the people many here pray for silently while gathered together.  Corporate prayers include more than our private prayers because more people are involved.  They are from our collective consciousness.  And, on days when we are distracted, on days when we are experiencing doubt – there are others around us to carry our prayers to God for us.

So, on the day of Pentecost, it says the people were suddenly able to understand each other.  They moved from living in their own little world to being a part of something much, much bigger than themselves.  To those who remained skeptical, they appeared to be drunk.  I love this verse in today’s reading: “Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.” 

Peter then begins to explain to those around, that what is happening is what the prophet Joel had predicted: 

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

The Holy Spirit is being “poured out” upon the people – they are seeing the light of Christ and the young men have a vision of the Kingdom of God, and the old men are dreaming of a better world.

However you might envision the arrival of the Holy Spirit – as the spark that ignites the engine, or the realization that the world is so much larger than ourselves, the followers of Christ grew in strength, in purpose and in numbers that day as Peter begins to preach the Good News of Christ – the promise of God’s Kingdom to all of humanity. 

That’s the point in this scripture of listing all those gathered, people of various nationalities – people who spoke in different tongues.  Christ’s salvation is open to everyone.  The idea that the people of Israel were the chosen people of God was not that they were God’s favored people – even though they often thought of themselves as such.  No, they were simply chosen to bring others to God.  In 1^st Corinthians, Paul writes:

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, . . .

Whatever happened that day, rest assured the gift of the Spirit was for the common good. 

Peter used his gift as a speaker to help others understand what had happened – that Christ was the Son of God, that he died for our sins, and that he rose from the dead.  On that first Pentecost, the Good News of Christ began to spread.  It is now up to us, as members of this church – of Christ’s Church, to determine our gifts (individually and collectively) so that we, too, might help the church grow.  When we are dismissed from worship, our work begins.  When I say at the end of this service, “Let us go forth rejoicing in the power of the Spirit, Alleluia, Alleluia,” we need to do just that – we need to go forth rejoicing! 

But what does that mean – to go forth rejoicing?  Another option for our dismissal is “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”  I suggest that the same joy that prompted Peter to preach the Good News on that day, is the joy that prompts us to love and serve others – and as Christ taught us, that means to do for others as Christ would do for them.   For when we serve those in need, we are serving Christ.   The apostles did not remain in the upper room, they gathered themselves together and then they went forth.

Both gathering together in support of each other, in prayer with one another, AND going forth are necessary for us to be the church.  We need the one to do the other.  As we celebrate this Holy Eucharist, let us be mindful of our prayer that our gracious God may send the Holy Spirit upon our gifts of bread and wine that they might be the body and blood of Christ and that all who partake in it may be one with him so that we might truly leave here today rejoicing in the power of the Spirit!

Let us pray,

Come Holy Spirit and fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.  Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth.  O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

June 5, 2011

Acts 1:6-14                Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36          1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11        John 17:1-11

Yesterday I called to wish my daughter, Katie, a happy birthday.  As our conversation drew to an end, I said I was going to have lunch and then write my sermon for today.  Yes, that’s right; you’re listening to a sermon that is hot off the press.  Anyway, she gave me permission to tell you that 27 years ago yesterday an event occurred that changed my life for the better.   For, that was the day our “middle child,” was born. 

I laughed, but I knew she was right – her birth began a series of changes in my life that have given me a greater appreciation for God.  Her birth not only marked a beginning for her life, it marked a new beginning for me.   One that began as I got to know her as a child of God and one that began as I opened my heart and learned from her what matters most in life.  This was true for the birth of each of her siblings as well, but don’t tell her that – I don’t want to get that whole sibling rivalry thing started. 

Within Katie’s first year of life, she was in and out of the hospital on numerous occasions.  She had a severe case of asthma and Cathy and I spend many a sleepless night giving her respiratory treatments – we prevented many hospitalizations this way, but were all too familiar with the staff on pediatrics in her early years of life.  Thankfully, she didn’t let it limit her enjoyment of life and it was well controlled in time for her to play softball, basketball, and enjoy camping.

Watching her grow up taught me a great deal about enduring pain and not being afraid to go forward in life.  She did not live in fear.  In Acts, the apostles had experienced great pain and now they are being prompted to go forward without fear.

On Thursday we celebrated Ascension Day – 40 days after we celebrated the resurrection of Christ on Easter Sunday, we read in Acts the story of Christ’s ascension.  Part of that same reading we heard this morning.  At that service, Tom Baker suggested in his sermon that Ascension Day might be considered the birth of the church rather than Pentecost.  Pentecost, which we will celebrate next Sunday, is traditionally referred to as the birth of the church. 

Not to repeat Tom’s sermon, but his point is valid.  With Christ no longer physically present, the disciples found themselves left with the responsibility of carrying out their call to discipleship in a brand new way.  They had to say goodbye to the life they knew with Christ physically present with them leading them from town to town.  They would now be responsible for leading others.  Christ’s Ascension marked a new beginning as Tom pointed out and every new beginning comes upon the heels of an end. 

The overlaps in our reading on Thursday and today are verses 6 through 11.  In verse 8, Jesus says “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in all of Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  Jesus is then lifted up and taken in a cloud out of their sight.  The disciples are standing there, staring up toward heaven when suddenly two men in white appear and ask why they are still standing there looking upward. That’s where the Ascension Day reading ends – with the apostles being asked why they are still standing there and being told Jesus will return as he left.

I remember watching a shuttle launch in Florida – we all stood there – hundreds of people, looking upward long after the shuttle was out of sight.  No one asked us why we were looking heavenward – lifting a space craft into the orbit of the earth is a remarkable sight that fills the mind with awe and wonder.  The disciples were understandably left gazing upward, unable to move or think about what to do next when two angels prompted them to get started doing what Christ had asked of them. 

Their next step was to return to the upper room in Jerusalem where they were staying, and join the other followers of Christ who were praying.  They returned to support each other in prayer and fellowship – and isn’t that what we come here to do as well? 

The ascension was not the first time Christ left them – no he left them when he was crucified, but this time was different.  This time they knew without doubt that it was not the end, but a new beginning.  Yet, as Tom pointed out Thursday, an ending accompanies every new beginning – so Christ’s ascent into heaven surely left them feeling alone and frightened once again.

Again I ask – isn’t that why we come to the church?  Don’t we come because without this time for prayer and reflection, we feel all alone?  Don’t we gain strength to face the challenges before us when we open ourselves to God?  And when we gather with others like ourselves who are struggling to find our way in life – isn’t our burden somehow easier to carry? 

Perhaps for the apostles, this time together included reflecting on the words Jesus said to them before he departed the first time – the words reported in today’s gospel reading from John.  Today’s reading is the end of the Farewell Discourse by Jesus that we have heard from these past three Sundays.  The beginning of which was when Jesus issues a new commandment in John 13:34, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”  Now, in today’s lesson, Jesus is praying.  In his prayer he says the time has come for him to be “glorified.” 

Looking back now, the disciples understand that the path to glory for Christ included torture and the cross.  The glory came not in the form of fame and praise, but in his humility and in his willingness to suffer and die for all of humanity.  Jesus’ prayer continues; he prays for the disciples, “Holy Father, protect them . . . so that they may be one, as we are one.”  Christ prays that the disciples may be one as Christ and the Father are one. 

Christ’s desire for the church is unity; it for us to love one another and to support one another.  The disciples are on the verge of going out into the world to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ – but first they return to that sacred space where Christ prayed over them before he was taken away – the room where the resurrected Christ appeared to them behind locked doors, the space where his followers remained in constant prayer. 

Twenty-seven years ago was indeed a special day for this Father; it was new a beginning in my life, one of many new beginnings.  Ascension Day was a new beginning in the life of the followers of Christ, one of many new beginnings to be celebrated and enjoyed.  And, although every new beginning comes at the close of a chapter in our lives, each beginning offers hope.  When an important chapter ends, it is sometimes nearly impossible to see the hope to come, but it is there. 

The disciples’ response was typical.  They stood frozen in time staring upward until someone asked why they were not moving on.  Then they did what made sense – they returned to the community of the faithful.  We are that community of the faithful, gathered to remember on this Sunday in Easter, the glorious resurrection and ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Let us pray.

Lord Christ, you have brought us together that we might be your witness to others.  Help us, we pray, to shine forth your light, loving and caring for each other.  Help us to find strength in you and one another that we might go forth this day in service to you.  In your name we pray, Amen.

Ascension Day June 2, 2011

We’ve had a lot of goodbyes in the past few months. Think about it. Fans of the TV show “The Office” had to say goodbye to the character you loved to hate, Michael. After 25 years, millions are trying to cope with afternoon television without the presence of Oprah. Just a few short weeks ago we found ourselves dealing with predictions of the end of the world, as we knew it. And, in the month of May, thousands graduated from one phase of life to another. From the ridiculous to the sublime, all these goodbyes marked the ending of one thing and the beginning of another. When it comes right down to it, life is full of goodbyes. Perhaps that’s why the church celebrates the feast of the Ascension. For it reminds us that the love and grace of Jesus’ presence stands squarely in the middle of all our goodbyes. 

Like it or not goodbye is a part of life. Some goodbyes are as hard as having to let go of a loved one or as happy as TGIF. In every goodbye we are faced with a new beginning.     

I think I will always remember a phone call I got six years ago. I was at work in Baltimore, Maryland when a doctor at my mom’s nursing home in Boston, Massachusetts called me to tell me my mom was actively dying. The doctor couldn’t get hold of my sister who lived less than fifteen minutes away from my mom’s nursing home. He called to give me the chance to “say goodbye” as he held the phone to my mom’s ear. Suddenly, I found myself trying to wrap up in a few short moments my life with my mom. All the ups and downs. Everything we’d been through; everything I learned from her; everything I was sorry for; and everything I was so very thankful for. As I said goodbye to my mom I knew that this was a major turning point in my life. A scared event that marked not only an ending but also the beginning of my life without parents.

Ascension Day is the Church’s goodbye. It’s the day we gather to remember that the disciples had to let go and be on their own. Although many say that the feast of Pentecost is the birth of the church, I always felt that Ascension Day is the church’s real start. Jesus leaves, but we stay. As it turns out, this is the ultimate "left behind" story, but according to Jesus, being left behind is neither a sign of imperfect faith, nor a chance to prove your self-worth. Rather, being left behind is an honor; an invitation to participate in the glory of God; a commissioning, in fact, into the work of Jesus.

In their song, “Closing Time” the music group Semisonic sums up the Ascension well, “Every new beginning comes from some other’s new beginnings end." Goodbyes work like that. Every goodbye has an ending and a beginning.

Anne, an Episcopal priest friend of mine in Maryland, has a favorite saying, “Everyone wants things to be different but no one wants to change.” If you’ve been a Christian for sixty seconds or sixty years you know there are things in this world that needs to be different. Often they’re the things that are just too hard to change. That’s because we discover all too quickly that before we can enact change, we have to become change.

Of course the church changes the world everyday by caring for the poor, feeding the hungry, reaching out with love, and so forth. And that is worth celebrating. But can the church help people imagine that all the ordinary tasks of everyday life, all the mundane things, also honor God? Because they do. Any honest work can, indeed, help care for this world and people God loves so much.

This week, my first cousin posted on her Facebook page, “Can anyone tell me why it is so hard to pray, but easy to swear? Why clubs are growing and churches are shrinking?” As I thought about it, it struck me that I know many people who believe that the world is bad and needs to be different. Perhaps that’s because day in and day out most everyday Christians have a hard time identifying anything they do on a daily basis that "counts" as God's work. My cousin’s post told me she was experiencing a disconnect between her spiritual practice and her so-called real life.  And I can identify with that. Just think about it: if we don't remedy this situation – namely, the utter disconnect between the one hour we spend in church and the 167 hours we spend everywhere else, do we really want to continue giving that hour? Maybe instead our hour here in church can give birth to supporting, informing, and nurturing us for those 167 hours we spend in the “real world.” That’s the challenge and message of the Ascension. For Jesus himself did not ask us to take care of his church; instead he commissioned us to be his church for the world.

Beginnings and endings are the core of what the resurrected Jesus is all about. To stand in the presence of God you have to be able to live with beginnings and endings. You have to embrace them and not avoid them.

To quote another verse of Supersonic’s song, “Closing time - time for you to go back to the places you will be from. Closing time - this room won't be open 'til your brothers or your sisters come. So gather up your jackets, and move it to the exits, hope you have found a friend - Closing time - every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Some Christians believe this life is simply practice for the next one. Others believe it is some kind of trial, something to be endured until a future glory. Still others think of this life as a test, a time and place to prove ourselves worthy of heaven. Not us. Yes, there are trials. Yes, things can be difficult, confusing, and sometimes downright discouraging. But in the Ascension we have a two-fold promise. God is with us to help us not merely to persevere, but to flourish (that's what the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, is!) and second God intends us to be committed to this world, this people, this place, here and now. Today we are commissioned and blessed to participate in this work and to share this amazing promise.

I believe that every time we gather in this sacred place we re-enact the Ascension.  Each time is an ending and a beginning.  Each time is our closing time, a time to gather and celebrate what we have been doing as the Body of Christ in the world, and a time to go back into the places where we will be from.  A time to gather up our jackets, head out to the exits, and cherish the fact that we do this not alone, but with our friends and in the power of the Spirit of God. 

May 29, 2011

Acts 17:22-31                     Psalm 66:7-18                    1 Peter 3:13-22                    John 14:15-21

        Which comes first – loving Christ, keeping God’s commandments, or Christ revealing himself to us?  In John we just heard, “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”  I often feel like I’m on a merry-go-round when reading from the Gospel of John.  Jesus says, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me. . . I abide in him and he abides in me” and “To know me is to know the Father.”  And now, “if you have and keep my commandments you love me . . . “and I will love you and reveal myself to you.”

        It seems most reasonable to assume that keeping the commandments is a response to Christ revealing himself to us in our lives – but maybe that isn’t the case – or at least not always.  For some people, they begin by establishing order and discipline in their lives. They set a moral compass and live by a set of rules.  If you watch, NCIS, its star, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Mark Harmon, lives by a set a rules which the people closest to him know by number – such as Rule #6:  Never apologize, it’s a sign of weakness; Rule #15:  Always work as a team; Rule #39:  There’s no such thing as coincidence, or the latest rule he added in a recent episode, Rule #51:  Sometimes you’re wrong!  In that episode, he apologized.

            Many of us do not have an experience in which Christ reveals himself to us that starts us down the path toward righteousness as Paul did on the road to Damascus.  Many of us grow up in the church, leave it, then find our way back later in life and experience the sense of peace we were missing once we return.

That was my experience.   I found that helping others was profoundly rewarding.  I was deeply touched by the strength of faith I witnessed among the “less fortunate.”  However, I did not find that living a life defined by rules of moral conduct was enough, so I returned to church and found what I was missing – a life centered on the love of God. 

            We should not, therefore, think of loving Christ, keeping the commandments, and having Christ reveal himself to us as steps to salvation.  Rather, we need to remember that for us, as for Christ’s disciples, our relationship with God is circular.  It is listed here in John as if we love Christ and therefore want to keep the commandments.  And, if we keep the Commandments, then Christ will reveal himself to us.  You see loving God, doing God’s will, and experiencing God’s peace is one continuous loop and we can enter from any point. 

It is an experience, however, that can be disrupted.  When our prayers go unanswered and our lives takes a turn in the wrong direction – it is easy to feel disappointed, resentful, or even angry with God.  Doing what is right no longer seems important and we feel all alone – abandoned by God. 

We can learn a lot from these passages in John.  The disciples do not know at the time Jesus is speaking to them, but he is preparing them for such an occasion.  This passage is from what scholars refer to as the “Farewell Discourse” given by Jesus just before he is betrayed.  Within hours of this conversation, Jesus is taken from them, tried and executed and the disciples will find themselves frightened and feeling all alone.  Their lives will be turned upside down as the one whom they believe to be the Messiah is nailed to the cross and dies a shameful death.

            Christ is preparing them for the time when the world will no longer see him by telling them that he will not leave them orphans.  By this, Christ means he will not leave them all alone, powerless, and forced to live upon the charity of others.  Rather, Christ says, he will ask the Father to give to them another Advocate to be with them throughout eternity.  Another translation for the word “advocate” is “helper.”  So Christ promises help for us in the midst of those times when we feel all alone.  This help, he says is the Spirit of Truth.  It is the knowledge that God is with us.

            Christ spoke these words as he himself was facing the cross – so we know there is no promise that our path will be easy, only bearable.  The trials and tribulations we face in life are made easier when we know that we are not alone – that we have not been abandoned.   Yet, Christ tells the disciples:  “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” 

When we are “of the world” it is difficult to see Christ and we do feel all alone.  But when we live in the Spirit, we can see Christ.  And then, because he lives, we also will live. 

If reading the Gospel of John seems confusing, perhaps our reading from Acts will help.  It is offered today in contrast to the circular logic used in John.  Paul is not speaking to the Jews in Athens, rather he is speaking to the Greeks who worship multiple gods.  So Paul uses logic to lead them, step-by-step, to understand the nature of God.  Besides the historical interest here, there are three verses that beg our attention. Paul says: 

From one ancestor [God] made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him-- though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we too are his offspring (26-28).”

Paul says that we are created by God and that within each of us is a longing to know God, a longing so intense that we might even find ourselves groping in the darkness to find God.  And Paul says that God is not far from us, for “in him we live and move and have our being.” 

            Within each of us is a space reserved for the Spirit of Truth, the knowledge and love of Christ.  And no matter how thick the darkness in our lives, Christ is never far from us – for in him we live and move and have our being.  Yet, like the air that we breathe, the air that sustains our lives; we are often unaware that God surrounds us in love.  Once we open our eyes and see that Christ is indeed in our midst, once we know Christ’s love for us, we can truly live our lives.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, on this Memorial Weekend, let us remember those who have sacrificed their lives for us that we might live in freedom and peace.  Help us to find that peace that comes from loving your Son, following your commandments, and from the revelation that Christ is with us.  Help us also to be the people you intend for us to be, that Christ might be revealed to others through us.  In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray.  Amen.

May 22, 2011

Acts 7:55-60                    Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16                        1 Peter 2:2-10               John 14:1-14

Well . . . here we are.  Either there were only a few righteous souls in all of the world – so few in fact that their disappearance did not capture the attention of the media – or the rapture didn’t come.  Either way, after playing games on my computer all day yesterday waiting for the rapture, I found myself hastily writing a sermon in the middle of the night.  I must admit, I am greatly relieved to find that I’m not the only one still here this morning.

In this Easter Season we are continuing to read our first lesson from Acts, rather than from the Old Testament.  Today’s reading from the 7^th Chapter of the killing of Stephen takes place between the time of the resurrection and the Apostle Paul’s conversion.  The church had been formed and was in its infancy.  In Chapter 6, the Hellenists were complaining about the daily distribution of food.  Their widows, they said, were being neglected. 

The twelve apostles (Matthias had been chosen to replace Judas), called together the whole community and announced they had decided to appoint seven men to serve the community – freeing the apostles to focus their time on teaching the Word.  The seven men selected stood before the apostles, and the apostles laid their hands upon them.  Stephen was the first to be named to one of these positions – so we can say that he was the first deacon in our church. 

Stephen, it says in Acts, was “full of grace and power, [and] did wonders and signs among the people.”  Yet, feeling threatened, members of the synagogue attempted to argue with him – but he was too wise.  They then conspired against him and accused him of blasphemy. 

Our reading from today is the very end of his speech to the council.  He begins his speech by telling the story of the people of Israel  - from Abraham all the way through the crucifixion of Christ, and in terms that did not speak well of those in charge.  He said to them,

You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.  Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute?  They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, and now you have become his betrayers and murderers.  You are the ones that received the law as ordained by angels and yet you have not kept it.

This was a time when speaking the truth could get you killed!  No one likes to be accused of unjust actions – of killing the prophets and the Messiah, but that’s what Stephen did.  He told the Council that they had betrayed God, that they were murderers, and that they had failed to keep God’s commandments.  They had been entrusted with the law and they had failed to keep it.

Our reading this morning picks up here.  The people are outraged, but Stephen gazed heavenward and sees Jesus at the right hand of God – and he shares this with them.  The people rushed him, dragged him out of the city and stoned him.  Stephen, like Christ on the cross, prays for their forgiveness.

The first verse of the next chapter is also important:  “And Saul approved of their killing him.”  Saul, who was to become the great Apostle Paul, was there and it was this event that began his persecution of the Christians.  He was so convinced that these Christians were worshiping a mere mortal, that he began his violent campaign to rid the church of the misguided and corrupt Christians.

I hope at this point you can see the parallels between the ancient church and the church today.  I’m not talking about the literal stoning – but the source of divisions in what we refer to as the one holy catholic and apostolic church.  It is so easy to get caught up in politics or to be convinced that our understanding of God, or our theology is correct that we drive away others who disagree with us.  Churches are all too good at driving people out.   I am thankful that few churches now turn to stoning those they consider blasphemous.  It is so much more civilized to split into two or more churches. 

I was once told that, contrary to popular believe, Baptist churches do not split – they simply reproduce like an amoeba dividing into two churches, and then four, then eight – and so on.  Churches divide over issues of theology, differences in opinions regarding mission – or simply differences of opinion about any number of things.  As you know, the Episcopal Church is not immune.  We split from the Church of England after the Revolutionary War over issues of allegiance.   The Methodist, a lay movement in the Anglican Church, needing priest to celebrate the sacraments split from the Episcopal Church after the Revolutionary War when the United States did not have bishops and could not ordain priests. 

The Episcopal Church split again during the Civil War, reunited afterwards, only to have a group of 27 evangelical clergy and laity leave to form the Reformed Episcopal Church in 1873 over issues of ritual.  They were greatly alarmed by the movement in the Episcopal Church toward a more “Roman” ritual – elevating the host during communion, wearing vestments, having candles on the altar and so forth.  St. Thomas, here in Mountain Home, is a Reformed Episcopal Church – though the theology of that denomination has changed significantly since 1873 just as the theology of the Episcopal Church has evolved.  Then, of course, there were those who left our church over the adoption of the 1928 Prayer Book, and over the ordination of women in the 1970’s and then again over the consecration of Gene Robinson as the bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. 

In the Nicene Creed we say every Sunday, we state that we “believe in the one holy catholic and apostolic church,” but then we are quick to make distinctions between the Episcopal Church and other denominations.  I dare say that although it is appropriate to profess our faith and our beliefs to others, it is not appropriate for us or anyone else to pass judgment.  Rather we should strive to find common ground – and common language.  Often our differences are over words which are merely symbols.  In the late 1800’s, one dissenting group of our members left the church and adopted certain principles affirming their beliefs and condemning beliefs of others – one of which was to refer to the table in the center of our church as an altar rather than “the Lord’s Table.” 

I, like several of you, have had fun with yesterday’s prediction of the rapture – but it is a distraction.  We have no more right to judge those for whom this day is a profoundly sad day because the end did not come– than the Jewish Council did to condemn Stephen to death.  We need not focus on the errors in their theology; rather we need to remember what Jesus says to us in today’s lesson from John:  “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.” 

This is to say, “There is room for everyone.”  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life – on that all Christian’s should agree.  We might disagree on what Christ means when he says, “No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Some might suggest it means that Christ is the gatekeeper for all of humanity – where I would suggest that Christ is the path for us as Christians.  I no more think that God is limited to only one way of reaching humanity than I think that one group of Christians know when the end of the world will occur.  What I do know is that Christ is showing me the path and that he has gone ahead to prepare a place for you and for me.   But for us to know Christ is to know God.

Let us pray,

Heavenly Father, in the midst of suffering, Stephen focused his attention on you.  Help us to see the face of Christ when we suffer or feel discouraged.  Help us to forgive those who persecute us and rejoice in the love you offer to us and to all of your creation so freely.  All this we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.

May 15, 2011

Acts 2:42-47             1 Peter 2:19-25                 John 10:1-10                       Psalm 23

For the most part, our common lectionary carries us through the life, the teachings, and the resurrection of our Lord – and for the most part it does so by selecting readings from one of the three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) in the order they appear in relation to our church seasons. Yet, our readings for this season of Easter are anything but sequential or from Matthew – the primary gospel for this year’s readings.

Easter and Christmas are times known for using selections from John’s gospel, but clearly this season’s readings are not in order. Last Sunday we heard the reading from Luke where some of the disciples encountered the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus. This Sunday, our Gospel reading is from John and is of Jesus telling the people gathered that he is the Good Shepherd and the gate to true life. This is not an Easter story of the apostles’ encounter with the risen Christ.

Our other readings are not Easter readings either. The reading from 1^st Peter seems appropriate for Good Friday – quoting an Old Testament Psalm and then talking about Christ’s crucifixion on the cross. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.”

Our first reading – normally from the Old Testament, is from Acts and is of Pentecost! We will not celebrate Pentecost for another five Sundays – so what are we doing with a Pentecost reading in the middle of our Easter Season?

Oh – and the Psalm appointed for today is one used at most funerals – Psalm 23!

Now I know the last sermon I preached here was Easter Morning – but what happened to Easter? I wasn’t gone that long. As I reflected this last week on these readings, it occurred to me that although these lessons seem somewhat out of place – there is something to be said for stepping back in the middle of Easter Season and taking a look at the bigger picture.

In these readings we are reminded by Christ that he is the Good Shepherd, that he calls us by name and that he is the gate to life – to new and unending life. Through him we are lead into the green pastures where a banquet is prepared for us in the midst of all our troubles and before our enemies. And in today’s lessons we are reminded of the price that Jesus paid for us – his suffering on the cross – for there could be no Easter without Good Friday. The resurrection of the death requires us to face death, to accept it as our call, to die to sin; that we, too, might be resurrected into new life in Christ.

We are also reminded that as baptized Christians we are called to devote ourselves, as the people did after having received the Holy Spirit, to devote ourselves to the work that Christ has called us to do. This one verse in our reading from Acts, Chapter 2, verse 42, tells us what we need to do to be followers of Christ: “Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” We have been baptized into the faith that we might devote ourselves to being followers of Christ.

In this report from Acts of how the Christian Church began, it says they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles – which was simply the Gospel message. The gospels had not yet been written, so the newly baptized where committing themselves to learn all that they could about Christ and God’s desire for us – from the apostles. So to devote themselves to the teaching of the apostles was to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, and that Christ’s followers are to be the arms and hands of Christ in the world. To be Christians requires us to individually and collectively love God and love our neighbor.

Devoting ourselves to the fellowship, the breaking of the bread, and to prayer is all about relationships – relationships with others and with God. We are not Christians in isolation – we cannot love others as ourselves unless we spend time with others. People need others, and Christians need other Christians – if for no other reason, to help keep us honest. It is so easy to deceive ourselves, to unconsciously decide God has a plan for us that does not involve self-sacrifice. When we come together as a community, we find examples of God’s self giving love in others. And, we have the opportunity to be an example for others. We come together to support each other on our journeys through life and our paths to deeper relationships with Christ.

It is not just the examples of others that help keep us honest, from deceiving ourselves; we must challenge each other from time to time. And we must challenge ourselves in study, worship, and prayer. By studying the scriptures, by acknowledging Christ’s importance to us in worship, and by opening ourselves to hear God’s call in prayer – we are challenged to live outside of ourselves, to live as part of something much, much bigger than ourselves, our wants, and our needs. To be a disciple means that what is best for the community is not always what is best for us individually. It means that in order to do our part in bringing about God’s Kingdom, we might have to give up something that we want.

Christ sacrificed himself for us, so to be a follower of Christ means to be someone who willingly gives of him or herself. The promise of green pastures makes it easier, but we do not sacrifice for gain for Christ has already given his life for you and for me. No, we offer ourselves because we knew Christ. We listen in prayer, and we respond in love because we trust that Christ is standing at the gate calling our name. We trust that there is so much more to living a life in Christ than we might experience in a world that revolves around us.

Yes, when we step back and remember there can be no resurrection without the crucifixion, we can truly appreciate what Jesus says in John, “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” Yes, we can trust that whatever difficulties we face, Christ is with us to lead us into green pastures. Christ suffers with us and offers us hope – even as we walk in the valley of the shadow of death. He walked that path before us and he will lead us to the banquet feast that has been prepared for us. THAT is the message of Easter.

Let us pray.

Lord I give thanks to you for this community of believers who have shown me the love of Christ. I give thanks for the support they give me and the support they share with one another. I pray that we may be ever mindful that it is in you that we live and move and have our being – and you are the source of our strength and comfort. You are the source of life and love. Keep us steadfast in our faith that we might do the work you call us to do in this community and in the world. All this we ask in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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