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FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (June 24) |
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This is St. John the Baptist Day. The significance of St. John the Baptist Day is that there are only 180 shopping days until Christmas. We are halfway through the year. The Church chose this day to celebrate John the Baptist's birth to coincide a Pagan holiday. Likewise, Christmas was put on December 25th to coincide with another Pagan holiday. If you can't beat'em, join'em.
After today, the days start getting shorter. After Christmas, the days start getting longer. As John said, "I must decrease in order that He increase." The light begins to decrease after John's day. It begins its steady increase after the Lord's birth.
In many Latin American and Scandinavian countries, St. John the Baptist Day is part of a three-day weekend. Why do we celebrate him so?
Of course, John the Baptist was kind of a character. He referred to his followers as a snake pit, a brood of vipers. You won't find many churcges named "Brood of Vipers Lutheran Church" or "Snake Pit Baptist Church."
In your bulletins today was a sermon by St. Augustine of Hippo on the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. St. Augustine says "John, it seems, has been inserted as a kind of boundary between the two Testaments, the Old and the New. That he is somehow or other a boundary is something that the Lord himself indicates when he says, The Law and the prophets were until John. So he represents the old and heralds the new."
When Luther first translated the Bible into the German vernacular, he kept a couple of verses in the Latin Vulgate, because they were verses that evryone understand. One of course was "Gloria in Excelsis Deo." People know exactly what that means. It needs no translation. Today, we still read the King James version of the 23rd Psalm, it is so ingrained, and we know it so well.
The other verse that Luther maintained in Latin was John the Baptist's proclamation at the river when he sees Jesus. He points at him and says "Ecce agnus dei qui tollis peccata mundi." "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." This is Christ in your lives; look at him acting among you, living among you.
As Pastor, it is my job to show you Christ in your lives. You as the Baptized believers have a job to show family, friends, people without hope, the lonely, the hospitalized, to show them where God is alive. That is your mission.
That is one of the reasons we invited the Choir of Wesley Methodist to come up from Pinopolis and celebrate with us.
Those of you who were here Wednesday night know what a wonderful service it was. It showed God active in people's lives.
I interviewed the kids on Friday about their experiences coming up here from South Carolina. I asked them what they found different. Almost every one of them was most surprised at the experience of seeing white and black people worshiping together.
We had planned to raise money for the roof, but what we actually did by welcoming 18 African-American teens from the rural south was showing God's inclusion. By being inclusive, we were pointing to Christ.
By our presence here this morning, we point to Christ.
When we live out the Christian life and share it with others, we are pointing to God. Evangelism is pointing to Jesus and proclaiming "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Evangelism is pointing to God, active in the world, active in our lives.
The kids told me that they were always offered a meal by the churches they visited, but they usually received the meals "TO GO." By inviting them to sit in fellowship with us, we are more attuned to helping one another seek Jesus. | |
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THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - June 17 |
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There is a time-honored tradition of the church that dates back centuries---a proud tradition of the church with deep theological roots and ancient convention. It is called: "Take the preacher to lunch." Perhaps some of you have heard of it.
This begins our text for today (Luke 7:36-8:3). Jesus has been invited to eat with Simon, a Pharisee, a pillar in the community, a righteous, educated and proud man. Well-versed in scripture and careful to follow the letter of the law found in the Torah. They were the specific guardians of the Law, and no detail escaped them.
Even so, formal meals with a celebrity (and Jesus WAS a celebrity) was a public event. Everyone wanted to see Him. He was getting a reputation as a great teacher, and some even spoke of miracles. It was said that he raised a widow's son from the dead in the nearby town of Nain, and now He was here.
This is how the dinner party worked. The invited guest would recline with his face towards the spraed of food, and his feet in the opposite direction. A tight circle was formed among the invited guests, but anyone could show up to watch the meal and listen to the conversation. (There wasn't much entertainment in those days.)
Then this woman shows up. This was not such a scandal, because all kinds of people would have shown up to see and hear the goings on. The real scandal in simon's mind was that Jesus allowed her to touch Him and get close to Him, to become intimate and personal. If Jesus knew that she was a sinner, he would not allow her to get that close to him or the table.
In Verse 39, Simon says to himself: "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman that is touching him, TOUCHING him, that she is a SINNER!
Notice that these are Simon's THOUGHTS, and not his words. He is thinking to himself. You can tell when the mood in the room has changed. When someone who doesn't belong walks in, you feel the stiffness that occurs. He didn't have to say anything...it was just evident by the tension in the air. What he was thinking and feeling...
Jesus tells them the wonderful parable about the payment of debts. "'A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When one could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?' Simon answered, 'I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.' And Jesus said to him, 'You have judged rightly.'"
In verse 44, "Then turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, 'Do you see thsi woman?' Jesus asks Simon to LOOK at the woman, at the individual. Here is an important point for us.
Remember Simon thinking "who and what she was." He did not see her as a person, but a kind of person, not as an individual but a group, a caste, a collection of lawbreakers and undesirables.
What Jesus does for Simon is ask him to look at the individual.
The larger context of this story is that Jesus has been healing blind people and now he is giving sight for Simon to SEE the neighbor.
LOOK AT HER, SIMON...The woman, the individual, the person, not the sinner.
He tells Simon, "look, you invited me to your house but this woman has offered me something you didn't, hospitality. See how much she has to offer. This woman you have labeled. Look at her!" In this passage, Jesus calls us to see people, not look at groups.
A parishioner was saying that he just didn't like woman pastors. Well, what about Pastor Sally? Oh well, she's different, she's alright. The difference is that he saw the individual and not the nameless group.
On this, World Refugee Day, it behooves us to ask:
How different would our immigration policies be if we no longer saw them, but saw him and her?
How different would our penal system be if we no longer saw they but he and she?
And how different would our own lives be if we no longer saw them but him and her?
Same thing is happening in the second reading, Galatians 2:15-21. Peter thinks the uncircumcised non-Jews should not be allowed at the communion table. Peter sees a "them" and a "they." "They" are not worthy, they are not good enough. They are not US. Paul calls him to task, pointing out the personal relationship of the risen Christ.
CONFESSION: I was interviewed by the Bergen Record this week about the New Jersey Synod's resolution asking our national church to remove the prohibition against sexual minorities serving in the ordained office. We've discussed this ad nauseum as you know.
The reporter asked me, "Who do you consider your enemies in this so that I might interview them?" I began naming the names and then it hit me. This is not a group of people, but individuals I am calling by name. People who are sinners like me. People who are wrong about this, but are still people, people I am called to see and love.
In my lown Pharisaic actions, I, too, lump people into "them" and they's." Right-wing religious folks, biblical literalists. I often see Them as the modern-day Pharisees. The flip side of this story is also interesting. This is the only place in Luke where a Pharisee is called by name, an indication that we are also to look at Simon as an individual. You know these Pharisee guys get a bad rap. But God sees them all as individuals.
The good news this morning is that God is a personal God. A God that sees us all as individuals.
You think God ever says: "You know those people are just getting on my last nerve?"
The scripture tells us that God views us with all our faults and our blessings as individuals. Sees us one by one, comes to us one by one by one, and loves us one by one. Go and do likewise.
Amen.
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SECOND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - June 10 |
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The human condition is that we are all mortals. There is a finite number of days for each of us. That is simply the way it is. We try different ways to cope with this reality. People often make jokes to mask the seriousness and trauma that is felt when we lose someone. Louis B. Mayer, a Hollywood producer wrote an outline for his own obituary. As head of MGM, he owned many movie theatres. His obituary said: "Services will be held at 2:00, 3:15, 4:00, 5:30, 7:00, and 9:00. Bargain matinees before 6."
Yet, a little humor does not mask the sadness of the final act that we all must face, and it does not relieve the pain of losing a loved one. It doesn't lighten the burden of fear. In our congregation, we have lost loved ones this year, and each of us knows what it is like to lose someone for whom we care, or at least to live under that throat. Many of you have lost a spouse or even a child.
Many folks may came to church, perhaps to hedge their bets against death, or at the very least to find comfort and a sense of purpose in the uncertainty and shortness of life.
Today's Gospel, Luke 7:11-17, may seem like the perfect text written to give us hope that life is stronger than death, and that eternity awaits us all.
I believe those things, but this is not the text for that. The Church confesses and witnesses to these things, but this is NOT the point of this text.
This is not a text about the promise of life everlasting; it is a text about finding hope when all hope is lost. This is a story about how any hopeless situation can be changed.
This is not a story about what happens when we die. This is a story about living.
First, there is a funeral procession taking place. Funeral processions traveled outside of town for fears of contagion. The first two days of death, a body was watched closely to make sure that there were no signs of life. They did not have the technology that we have today and people often fell into deep comas and appeared dead. There were no machines to measure brain waves. No EKGs or MRIs. A person was not officially dead until the third day. As grim as things looked, there was still some hope.
In the Lazarus story, Jesus goes to the home of Mary and Martha and wishes to see Lazarus. Their response is that they cannot roll away the stone, because it has already been three days, and a stench will surely be present. The text wants you to know that Lazarus is dead, really dead.
In the Easter text, Jesus rises three days after the crucifixion. Scripture wants you to know that Jesus was really dead and not just hurt, unconscious, reclining.
This is not the case in this story. The procession is taking place so the event is new and recent. So, while things look grim, there is still hope. While the family is defiantly not optimistic, there is still a glimmer of hope, a faint light.
Little is said about the son, how old he was, what he apparently died from. Much is, however, said about the mother; she is from the town of Nain, a town that had one been of some importance back in the day of Elijah, but had hit upon hard times and appeared to be dying itself. She has only one son, she is widowed, and must have been somebody well-liked and respected, if not pitied by the community, because of the large crowd. The Lord even had compassion on her.
Whenever scripture goes into detail about one character more than another, this is a signal to focus on that character.
So this is not a text about the man's resurrection from death!
It is a text about the woman.
It is a text about the hopeless situation in which this woman is found. It is the story of her life, the terrible situation in which she is found and God's concern and care for her.
Remember, in first-century Palestine, as in many places today, a woman could not work. To be a widow was considered a curse, and a widow without a child was a double curse. We know from scripture that people believed God must have been punishing such people to let them languish in a state of poverty, hopelessness, voicelessness and shame. The only first century Social Security was "Honor thy Mother and Father." In the first lesson from 1 Kings 17:17-24, the widow sees Elijah and says "You have come to bring my sin to remembrance." The assumption is that she did something wrong and God is punishing her. We cannot emphasize what a strong belief that was (and may still be today).
What Jesus does in this instance is take a hopeless situation and changes its course...
What Jesus does is show this woman is not cursed by God, but has God's compassion. What Jesus does is bring this woman from poverty and shame into a life filled again with possibilities.
So this text is about removing shame. It is about offering hope in dire situations; it is about offering hope in dire situations; it is about a God who can turn around bad situations. And it is about compassion. It is about a God who cares for the poor and the marginalized.
Scripture is full of such references.
Paul was a hopeless case. The second lesson, from Galatians 1:11-24 says "Says the one who was formerly persecuting you is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy."
So you may feel abandoned or even cursed by God. We learn today that this is not how God works.
You may feel you are facing a hopeless situation; this too is not how God works.
God will always be there.
God stands at the gate at the funeral procession. He is not angry. God loves you so much. He really does.
Amen. | |
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SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER May 20 |
There has been some talk around the Evangelism Committee recently about what our new signs should look like and what words or phrases capture the spirit and personality of our congregation. We like catchphrases and mottos for our institutions and products. Cities and states are famous for their slogans; they are often found on license plates.
“You Have a Friend In…Pennsylvania.” “Missouri, the Show-Me State.” In a recent contest to give New Jersey a motto for our plates, the phrase, “New Jersey…you gotta problem with that?” was rejected. Similarly, Virginia decided not to go with “Home of Dead Presidents.”
These things sum up in a few words the mission of a group. They give clarity and a message.
What do you think the average person in the street, at our jobs, and where we shop would say if we asked them to sum up in just a few words what the Christian Church is all about? What would they say?
A religion professor at Oregon State University was lamenting in a recent column that his students, when asked to write about their impression of Christianity consistently use five adjectives. Christians are:
Literalistic
Anti-Intellectual
Self-Righteous,
Judgmental, and
Bigoted.
Wow, what would you say?
The ancient book that we call the Holy Bible is actually 66 books written at different times and for different reasons in different circumstances. Like all great collections of books, it contains wisdom, history, biography, poetry, music, and yes, myth; it contains records and hopes, dreams and interpretations of dreams. It has intrigue and mystery, plot twist, and irony. It was written in times of peace and prosperity, poverty and war.
It seems a tall order to reduce it down as a catchphrase or a tag-line, but perhaps the last verse of the Bible, the last page of the last book may come close to doing just that.
It is found in today’s second lesson. We know that section as the Revelation of St. John the Seer, or Revelations. The translation we have today uses the words Saints but many scholars suggest that the word used is all.
It simply says this: “The Grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all.” Perhaps we could reduce that one sentence to one word: GRACE!
The psalm for today (#97) seems to agree; it speaks of all the world, and all its peoples. That is pretty amazing for an ancient text written for the villages of Judah.
“God’s lavish favor, without conditions or limits, for all people; that is our branding.” God’s lavish favor without conditions or limits for all people; that is our tagline.” (taken from John Ortberg Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, NJ and Daniel B. Clendenin)
Consider the first lesson today, Acts 16:16-34. Paul and Silas free an enslaved girl resulting in their own enslavement. They are thrown in jail. They have come to Macedonia, a risk in itself because it is a Roman colony and not exactly friendly to Christians. There they meet Lydia and invite her to be a full member of the Church. They allow themselves to be punished for giving freedom to a girl and inverting the economy of the day. When an earthquake offers them freedom, they do not run but instead minister to the guard. Their actions of praying and singing bring his entire family to be baptized.
These guys are following the example of Jesus, the Son of God, who suggested throwing a party for the young son who has run off with his inheritance, eats with prostitutes and sinners and offers his Kingdom to a condemned thief.
Notice from this lesson how the church grows when Paul and Silas show grace to the unbelievers, the insignificant, those without a voice, and those in fear of authority. Entire families are baptized and slaves are set free.
In our Gospel lesson we read from St. John what is known as the High Priestly prayer---where Jesus intercedes for his followers, that we may all be one. Not that we all look alike or think alike or worship alike or even agree, but simply that we proclaim to all, the beautiful words found in Verse 23:
“The world may know that you sent me and have loved them even as you love me.”
To proclaim this love that we have received in word and deed is our slogan, our tagline, our mission, and the way of life to which we are called.
And so as Revelations says: “The Spirit and the bride say come.”
And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”
And let everyone who is thirsty hear, “Come.”
Let everyone who wishes to take to the water as a gift of life…”Surely I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! | |
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SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (May13) |
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Good morning and Happy Mother's Day. I hope you enjoyed our breakfast. I was instructed by the crew at yesterday's spring clean-up to keep the 8:30 service short for breakfast. A reminder that no matter what the Sermon says, it is hard to compete with the aroma of bacon wafting down the hallway.
The well-respected early twentieth century theologian and engineer Frank B. Jewett was fond of saying, "You must believe in God despite what the clergy says."
Even with human limitations to speak and sometimes to hear, the Word of God still permeates our existsence. It still bridges the divide between human intentions and God's design for His creation. In other words, as one seminary professor was fond of saying when sophomoric students said or did something incredibly stupid at worship, "Jesus will still talk to us."
Jesus will still talk to us no matter what words I use, or your ability to hear them. The good words of grace are not conditionally based on eloquence of tongue or even clarity of thought. Take a look at the disciples in today's Gospel lesson, John 14:23-29. The disciples are confused, bewildered, frightened. They are ignorant of the Lord's intent. They are confused about His teachings. They are broken and faulty people. Yet Jesus continues to talk to them.
Thecrew is obviously worried about the future when Jesus drops the bombshell on them, that He is going away to prepare a place for them (14:3) and that where he is going they can not go (13:13.)" The cataclysm that would be Good Friday was fast approaching, and they were hoping to avoid the pain and shame that was to come. Perhaps in denial about the days ahead, they wanted reassurance.
Jesus gives them reassurance. Jesus still talks to them. He tells them not to worry; these words profoundly punctuated and placed against the horror of the week ahead: "Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."
With the religious authorities slandering their names and reputations, with the government threatening torture and terror, with livelihoods and wordly goods at risk, Jesus tells them not to be burdened with worry and troubles.
Let that sink in for a minute, the absurdity and audacity of it all.
How can it be? How can He speak of peace when they are so preoccupied? What is He talking about? Why does He call them (and us) to put aside the burdens of care? Who will take care of them and lead them and guide them when He leaves?
And here is the answer, the reason that they can continue on, the reason for their hope is that He will always talk to them: Verse 20. The Advocate, the Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you." The word that is used here in Greek is PARACLETE. Not the yellow Tweety Bird, and not the shoes with spikes on the bottom. PARACLETE, literally meaning "the one that stands beside you."
The reason that they were able to continue on was that they would never be alone. These people who did not understand were not abandoned. These people who would face trials, troubles and tribulations would never have to face them alone.
Do you worry? Do you feel that you have to shoulder your problems alone and that no one completely understands you? Do you sometimes fear the future? Do you not understand all that is placed before you? You are not alone. The Paraclete, the advocate, the defender and friend is right beside you.
As with the disciples, life can be difficult, but it need not be lonely.
Normally, I would end the sermon here.
Except for one more important thing: Jesus says in the scripture that He gives us this peace and presence. "Peace I give to you." Whenever wae are fiven the present of od's presence, it is for us as disciples to share with others. Everything God gives to us is given to us as stewards. To be stewards of this Peace that Jesus gives to us is our calling. We as a congregation certainly strive to do so in many and different ways. There are some people who are very lonely and worried about the future, and they have been placed on our doorstep in the name of our government. I want to encourage you to take the Word to those being held in bondage at the Elizabeth Detention Center that they are not alone, and to share with them the words that we have received.
Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
AMEN.
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FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Carole Moore, Preaching) |
There is a question often asked in Sunday school - how many commandments are there? I am sure that we would all say ten. But after reading today's Gospel lesson (John 13:31-35) we would have to say eleven. For in this Gospel reading, we find the 11th Commandment - "that you love one another just as I have loved you."
This is a very powerful Commandment given by Jesus to his disciples - you should love one another just as I have loved you. This is a very powerful kind of love - love one another as I have loved you - with total commitment, total giving of oneself - even if it leads to your death. Love one another so that everyone will know you are my disciples by the fact that you show love for one another.
This reading from St. John takes place during the evening of the Last Supper, the evening of the Passover meal. It is after Jesus has given Judas the piece of bread to let Judas know that He knew who was going to betray Him. Judas received the bread from Jesus and left the table and the room. In verse 31, the opening line of the Gospel reading, it says "When he had gone out" - referring to Judas.
It is only after Judas is no longer in the room that Jesus tells the rest of his disciples - "Little children, I am with you only a little longer." Jesus addressed his disciples as "Little children" - not meaning that they were young or acted like children, but as a term of endearment, a sign of love.
"Where I am going, you cannot come." The disciples did not really understand what Jesus meant by this statement - but Jesus knew what was to happen to Him; He knew that his life was soon to be over. He knew that He was going to leave this earth and return to His Father in heaven. He knew that his disciples could not follow him there. That is why He wanted to give His disciples the 11th Commandment, to make a lasting impression on them, to leave them with one last piece of His teaching, one last important thing that they must all live by, perhaps one of the hardest lessons he would teach them. "love one another as I have loved you." Everyone should know that you are My disciples by your doing this, by your loving one another. By following My examples, you will become like Me.
This was to be a bond of mutual love in the community. It is an example of Jesus's own caring for the community, "as I have love you," by My example. Jesus gave up His life for us, the supreme expression of His love for us. He wanted to emphasize that this commandment is love within the community.
We should treat each other in the same manner in which we would like to be treated. Be respectful of one another; be cautious not to say or do anything to hurt one another. Be cheerful; be kind; be considerate. Treat everyone with the qualities with which Jesus treated the multitudes.
We are to love another; this is our new commandment. We should love each other as we wish to be loved, as Jesus loved us. In Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 13, Paul writes that all the other commandments are summed up in this one -- "Love your neighbor as yourself."
In St. John, in the verses following our Gospel lesson, Jesus tells Peter that he will deny him three times. Jesus tells his disciples that "if you love me, you will keep My commandments. And My Father will give you another helper to be with you forever. In a little while, the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live, you will also live. Those who love me will be loved by My Father."
The beginning of the Gospel lesson refers to the Glorification of God and the Son of Man. It has been referred to by some writers as an early Christian hymn celebrating the enthronement of Christ, looking forward to His coming in glory.
In our second reading (Revelation 21:1-6) we hear the words "to the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life." The thirsty does not mean those whose throats are dry or parched. It means those who are thirsty for eternal life, for those who thirst to be in the Kingdom of God, to be with Him forever.
We are thirsty for the water from the spring of life. That is why we come to Church on Sunday, to have our thirst quenched, to be filled with the Word of God and to partake of the Communion meal as a member of the body of Christ. We come back each week to have our thirst quenched again and again; we are hungry and thirsty for His teachings, for the examples which God gives us, for ways to live our lives as Christians, for ways to be one of Jesus's disciples, for ways to show his love and mercy to all around us, to love one another.
Today's Psalm (#148) is full of praise for all that the Lord has done, praise to God the Creator, praise for God's universal glory. In it we praise the Lord for the sun, the moon and the stars. For the waters and all that dwell in them, for fire and hail, snow and fog and wind. We praise God for the mountains, the hills, the fruit trees and the trees which supply us with wood. We praise Him for all cattle, birds, and other living things. We praise Him for all rulers of the world, all peoples young and old. We praise His name, the name of the Lord, whose splendor is over all the aerth and heaven.
we should remember to praise the Lord, to praise and thank Him for all that He has given us, this beautiful land in which we live, this Church in which we gather each week, the members of the congregation who make us one big family of God, and for all that He has done to bless our lives.
Jesus, in our first lesson, tells Peter to tell His story to all, even to the Gentiles, to save them as well. Do not consider them unclean, even though they do not eat the same food that you eat, even though they do not live their lives as you do. Go to them and offer them the gift of the Holy spirit and the gift of life as Jesus offered it to you. Offer even the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.
We are to tell ALL about the gift of life that we have received from Jesus, from God. We should tell everyone about the wonderful gifts we share with each other, our sharing of the Holy Scriptures each week, our sharing of Communion and our sharing of ourselves, our sharing of love for all in the community. This is our commandment, one which is evangelisticin tone: tell everyone what we have received from God, and offer to share that giving with them. Share that love from God.
Jesus's gift of love is that of the risen and glorified Christ to His Church.
Jesus said "I give unto you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. Everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Are we Jesus's disciples? Do we show His love each day toward those we meet? In all aspects of our lives?
Think about this: do we truly love one another as Jesus loves us?AMEN. | |
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MAUNDY THURSDAY |
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In the south there is a saying: "Take off your shoes and set a spell." Tonight you get to do that. It is not often one gets to take their shoes off in church. Many feel odd about doing that, and frankly, it is a bit uncomfortable. Others may feel free. Little children, for example, love to take off their shoes and run with wild reckless abandon. Many of us older folks take off our shoes the minute we get home. In some cultures, like in Hawai'i, it is considered the height of rudeness to wear shoes in the house.
Feet are actually pretty amazing. Anatomically they are relatively small but incredibly complex. They are our means of propulsion, our means of balance. For dancers they are vehicles of art and beauty. They take lots of punishment and often we do not think of them until they hurt or are damaged, so that they can not carry us anymore.
We find many references to feet in the Bible. "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring glad tidings." Handel took that verse and composed one of the most beautiful solos in "The Messiah." We read in the New Testament just a few weeks ago about a woman who took expensive ointment and anointed Jesus' feet, foreshadowing his eventual burial. Jesus himself tells the disciples that if they are not welcome in a town, to "shake the dust off their feet and go on." Interesting images of feet just like ours.
And on this Holy night, "knowing that his Father had given all things into His hands," as the Gospel of John tells it, Jesus laid aside his garments, girded himself with a towel, poured water into a basin, and washed the feet of the disciples --- those feet of followers who had walked many miles with him; rough-worn aged and young feet, men and women alike. He washed them, this man that had just ridden into Jerusalem as the Messiah and King, washed the feet of his followers with humility and love and perhaps a deep sadness, knowing what probably awaited him.
Perhaps as Jesus performed this act of love, he thought of where these friends had been with Him, and where their feet would take them in the years to come. These feet would take the disciples (save one) into the midst of God's people to proclaim the Good News, to offer comfort and healing, to teach and preach, to convict and challenge.
We too are on a journey in life, and one to which Jesus has called us. In our liturgy tonight we begin by singing "Go to dark Gethsemane" and we leave in quiet and perhaps even in some gloom. We move from sharing in the meal to an empty altar and an empty table. Tonight we are challenged to take our journeys seriously. Are we willing to go as Jesus did to those who are different, to speak on behalf of the poor, and live a life of sacrifice? And what about those nights alone in the garden? Can we trust God enough to follow wherever He may lead, even in the midst of unpopular thought and the threat of death?
There were others there that night; Judas sharing even in the meal and being washed, choosing to run towards the authorities and betray Jesus. He ran towards security and the pieces of silver. Do WE not sometimes follow in Judas's steps? When we do not ask questions about where products are made, and under what conditions the makers toil?
And Peter, the one who wanted not just his feet but his whole body washed, would draw a sword, the weapon of violence, far off the path that Jesus made. How often do we trust the path of violence. Later he would deny Jesus. His steps were of connivance and fear. He left his friend to save his own hide.
And the other disciples? They fled and scattered. Many would watch the scene from afar the next day, hesitant to approach the cross that their friend suffered on. Is it not easier to avoid pain than face the truth?
The women went home without hope, expecting death.
And what of many others? Those who proclaimed him Lord when they were going to get something out of it, but quickly turned when they saw what was asked of them?
Are we willing to "go to dark Gethsemane,
ye who feel the tempter's power,
your redeemer's conflict see,
watch with Him one more bitter hour,
turn not from His grief away,
learn from Jesus Christ to pray."
The failure to follow is only matched by the selfless determination of Jesus to walk the road to Calvary.
Tonight, we listen and watch and wait, ponder and prod and stumble down the path that Jesus took, the path that we often fail to take. This night invites us to consider our journeys and that journey made for us. And consider our journey is not alone.
Take your shoes off and set a spell with Jesus.
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FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT |
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Never apologize for a joke before you tell it. It is unfair to single out any nationality or group of people as having a particularly bad characteristic. We all seem to make the same mistakes and use the same bad judgments regardless of our nationality. Since this is the day after St. Patty's Day, and I am at least a quarter Irish, that makes it okay.
A man stumbles upon another patron in a pub and asks him if he can buy him a drink.
"Of course," came the reply. Curious, the first man asks the second man where he was from.
"Ireland", replies the second.
"Well, so am I. A toast to Ireland! What town might you be from?"
"Why, Dublin!"
"So am I! Amazing! Another toast to Dublin!"
"Did you happen to know anyone who graduated from St. Mary's?" asks the second man.
"Why yes! I did, in 1969," replied the first.
"So did I!" said the second. "Another toast to St. Mary's!"
About that time one of the regulars comes into the pub and asks the barkeep what was going on.
"Not much," says the barkeep. "Just the O'Malley twins having drinks again."
Two brothers enjoying each other's company and having fun. This joke is funny because it is easy to imagine two siblings sharing a common bond and enjoying an inside joke.
Were it only always so...
It is not. We live in a world where estrangement is common. Families are often divided. The church threatens to divide. Cultures clash, and in our hearts we plot and scheme revenge. The children of Abraham are certainly estranged from one another. They needlessly shed blood over the Holy Ground, the land flowing with milk and honey. Oh, how the Holy Spirit must grieve over the atrocities committed in the name of God.
Brother vs brother, nation vs nation.
In our minds and with our voices we practice not the Golden Rule but instead kowtow to the Rule of Gold. I need not tell you how broken our world is.
There was a family split among folks in Jesus' day; a split between the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the pious and the less than pious.
HE EATS WITH SINNERS,
HE EATS WITH SINNERS,
HE EATS WITH SINNERS!
This was the cry of the Pharisees from the perch high atop Mount Zion.
Associating with sinners was as bad as being one. After all, you are known by the company you keep.
The Pharisees get a bum rap. We think of them as people with bad intent. Their intent was probably good. They were concerned to keep the law at all costs and remain pure and undefiled, because theirs was an awesome and demanding job. Keeping the peace, keeping the religion moral and clean, and providing leadership was their task.
They built a wall around their lives and they were devoted to this separation. They were possibly even a little resentful of this Jesus and his popularity with the rabble.
In Luke 15:11b-32, Jesus tells them a story about two brothers. The older one is dedicated to his Father, hard-working and strong. The younger is somewhat of a spendthrift, perhaps rebellious, definitely disrespectful.
This brother was so disrespectful, he went to his Father and asked him for his inheritance. An act so rude as to in essence decalre his Father useless and dead. After all, inheritances come post-mortem.
It is this brother that takes off, seeking fame and fortune, and an overall good time lifestyle. He is unprepared for the coming famine. He finds himself tending pigs (a horrible job for any Jew) and starving.
Unable to live, he decides to return to his Father, ask forgiveness, and pray for a chance to make things right by paying off his debt. He does not ask to be a slave, but a hired hand, one who gets paid. Maybe because nobody wants to be a slave; perhaps he intends to pay his father back.
At any rate before he even reaches the house, his Dad spots him on the horizon and runs to him, which scholars say is an unsightly and undignified way for an old man in Eastern culture to conduct himself. He puts a ring with the family crest on his son, gives him a new robe and sandals (definitely not slave attire) and throws him a party!
The party. The party is the scene of the climax that the whole story is moving towards. The Father decides to kill the fatted calf. This was well before the age of refrigeration, so killing it would require the entire village attending and eating. The very people who had been witness to the younger son's insults, and the shame of it all, are invited by the Father to a party. The Father makes it clear that he is giving this party to honor himself because he has a son. Just like Dad giving out cigars to celebrate a new birth, life given. Come see my son, the Loser!
But the older son is resentful, and it might seem rightfully so, and he says it in some revealing ways. First, he tells his Father that he is like a slave. (At least the younger son wanted to be a hired hand.) He indicates that he stayed out of duty and obligation. There was no love in his relationship and no joy in his work. He was bitter, mad and resentful. Secondly, he says that his brother was off with prostitutes and the likes, when in actuality, we don't know that! All we know is that he went to a foreign land and squandered his money as a dissolute.
The last thing he does is refuses to go to his dad's party, disrespecting his Father, and embarrassing him in front of his guests. This family gave this little village something to talk about! It was like a soap opera. First, the younger son tells his Father he is dead, returns home, and now the older one is embarrassing his father by refusing him in public.
With this parable, Jesus demonstrates to the Pharisees that a religion done out of obligation, guilt and duty is a dead religion. The Pharisees had built a wall around themselves in protection from the contamination of teh world's dirt. They served God like the older brother, not out of joy or desire for a relationship, but because they were afraid not to, because they were obligated. Their sense of duty was their faith. Their faith was a burden.
You may remember Oral Roberts' claim that God would call him home if he did not raise a million dollars. Imagine how much more he would have made if he had said, "God will call YOU home if I don't raise a million dollars."
All are in need of Redemption; not just the runaway, the Agnostic, the Atheist. Good folks need it too, those who believe because they are hedging their bets, those who have to worship God, as opposed to wanting to.
Reality check! Is our faith strong? Do we really care what goes on in church, or do we come as a habit, or because we're afraid of what will happen if we don't?
The parable is two parallel stories. Mankind is both the sinner who runs away from God, and the sinner who follows him out of guilt or obligation. God the Father runs out to welcome both. The Father leaves the party to find and welcome the lost son back to the fold. God invites the sinners and the church folks. All come to Him in joy, not in obligation.
Clarence Jordan, writing about II Corinthians, describes a God who hugs the world onto himself. Do we tighten up when we hug back? Do we let God hug us? Are we a religion that hugs others without fear or bitterness.
GOD HUGS YOU. HUG HIM BACK.
Amen. | |
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THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT (March 11) |
Congratulations! You managed to negotiate the time change and make it to church this morning. Spring forward and fall back. Congress moved the time change up two weeks this year in an attempt to...uh, do something or other for some reason or another.
But did you happen to notice that despite our changing of the time that the Earth, the elements and nature took no notice? The Earth continued to spin at the same rate. The birds did not check clocks for the correct time to sing. We have not added any time to or subtracted any from our lives on this terrestrial ball.
Everything has remained the same despite our best attempts to manipulate time.
That is the way we human beings are. We have a profound desire to control the world around us. We attempt to understand and manage the laws of physics and the reality of the universe. Humans are always trying to make sense out of the world. At our very core, we wish to explain how and why life unfolds as it does. We want a world that is easy to understand and easy to explain. Who among us does not wish to make sense of the world, to control and manipulate time, and assign human reason and logic to the course of life?
The disciples certainly did.
They, like us, wanted to apply human logic and understanding to make sense of suffering and reward, life and mortality. You may remember (in the Gospel as reported by John) that they encounter someone with a birth defect, and they ask Jesus, "Master, who sinned that this one should be born this way, the mom or the dad?" It only made sense to them that folks were rewarded for good behavior and punished outright for bad. This is something that most of us learned as children. And it is a widely held belief in our society today. If something bad happens to you, you probably had it coming. And how self-righteous can we be when rewards and riches are raining upon us? Who among us has not asked in the worst of times, "Oh God, why is this happening to ME? What have I done to deserve this?"
It only makes sense that we are rewarded for good and punished for bad. It only makes sense to us. There is a stark reminder this morning from the Prophet Isaiah that only God is God and that God's ways are not our ways. (Chapter 55:1-9.)
Only God is God. We do not understand or comprehend everything from our narrow perspective.
In Jesus' day, the ruthless king Herod, as was often his way, slaughtered some Galileans, perhaps out of fear of an insurrection, or as a capricious whim. Jesus asks the disciples: Do you think these people were worse people than other Galileans? He then begins to talk about the tragedy at Siloam when the tower fell. This tower was to be Herod's great achievement. IT was a giant waterworks project for Jerusalem. Its aqueduct would bring much needed fresh water to a water-barren land.
Because of shoddy engineering, or perhaps a minor earthquake, the tower fell, and killed, maimed and injured those who had the misfortune to be present.
Do you think they were worse sinners, Jesus asked. Of course not.
We think that some sins and some sinners are worse than others, and from our perspective, this is certainly true.
No one can doubt that a child who takes a gun to school and kills other children commits a terrible, heinous, and egregious act. But in the eyes of God, also shameful is the bullying and abuse that had killed the perpetrator's spirit and respect for life. The mouth is just as lethal as the gun.
In order to clear this up a bit, Jesus, in typical Jesus fashion tells them a parable (Luke 13:6-9) It is a wonderful parable and not just because you get to say manure in church. A wonderful parable with two major points.POINT 1: WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.
The fig tree was a symbol for Israel in the Common Testament, especially in the books of the minor prophets: Joel, Habakkuk, Amos and Zack. If Jesus is talking about a nation deserving punishment, then we must admit that we are responsible for the sins of one another.
POINT 2: WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE ALIVE
Notice that the tree did not do anything wrong; it did not bear poisonous fruit. It simply does nothing; it bears no fruit at all; it doesn't know that it is alive! Jesus goes to the cross for all the sins of the nations. Jesus does so that we may realize that we are alive. We are alive! AMEN. | |
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SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT (March 4) |
Life is full of commitments and promises. We make them every day. Some are profound and some, in the scheme of things, may seem small and inconsequential. If you wear a wedding bang, then you have made a commitment, usually with the church's blessing, to remain faithful to your partner in sickness and health.
In order to drive on the roads in the state of New Jersey, despite all contrary evidence, you had to demonstrate that you had the skill and you knew the rules to drive. And if you break this commitment, you run the risk of paying the consequences.
We make commitments to our jobs, our families, our friends, and to our church. In the Baptismal ceremony, we promise to bring the young ones to Worship, place in their hands the Holy scriptures, and teach the Creed and the Ten Commandments.
Politicians make commitments to the citizenry and theoretically, if they break these commitments, they will be booted out of office when the next election comes.
Many of you may have a mortgage, or at least had one. Did you know that the word mortgage literally means agreement with death. If you have ever had one, this is no surprise. Mort- meaning death. -gage sounds very similar to agree. Most bankers do not look like the Grim Repaer, but you better keep your commitment, or everyone will be unhappy!
There is a story about such an agreement; what may at first seem like an agreement with death. And to everyone's surprise (especially the Disciples of Jesus), it has a very happy ending.
This story begins in the Common Testament passage for today (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18.) There seem to be some strange things taking place. Abram, one of the Super heroes of the Bible, and God have entered into an agreement. It is an agreement that would for good measure, change Abram's name to Abraham.
It seems pretty simple really. God will provide the aged Abraham and his wife Sarah (as I have quoted Fredrick Beekner often) who had one foot in the grave and one foot in the maternity ward, that they were to be parents of a great nation, a nation whose population was to number as many as the stars; a great nation that would be a blessing to the world. In exchange, these children of God were to remain faithful to God, carry out God's Commandments, and trust in God.
The Lord Almighty, the one with no name, was to be their God and they were to be God's faithful people. That is it, simple and to the point. We refer to this agreement as the Abrahamic Covenant.
Now, here is the odd part. When we make agreements with folks, we often shake hands. Commitments often require contracts. You have to sign on the dotted line. In olden times, before the invention of the modern lawyer, contracts went like this:
The parties to the contract would meet in the center of town, where everyone could see them and witness the agreement. Upon conclusion of the stated terms, an animal of some type was to be ritually sacrificed by being torn apart or cut in two. The bigger the contract, the more animals involved. The more important the agreement was, the more expensive the animal.
The two parties would then stand in the middle of the bloody and gory scene to indicate that if one of them breaks the contract, then the other party has a right to exact the same fate upon the breaker. If one party fails, the other party has the right to literally divide the person's goods, family, and even life. Got that? You could end up like the poor chicken that has just been mutilated in the town square.
So Abraham and God have made a covenant. It is at this point that the story takes an amazing turn! A deep sleep comes upon Abraham. While he is sleeping, a smoking firepot and torch pass through the animal parts. The firepot and torch only! You have probably guessed by now that all that smoke and fire represents the God that is too Holy to see. So God passes through the blood, alone.
Here is the big point. (FANFARE) God signed the contract for both parties. God made the deal and agreed to uphold BOTH ends of the contract, so that if Abraham loused up his end of the deal, God would take the fall. That is like going to the bank, asking for a million dollars and the baker saying "sure, here are the terms and the contract. I'll sign both lines so that if you can't pay me back, I'll take care of it for you." Where is that bank?
God demonstartes that if for some reason God messes up, the blame will be on God, and if Abraham and his children mess up, the blame will be on God. GUESS WHICH PARTY MESSES UP? Hint: It ain't God.
That brings us to the Disciples. Can you see where this is going? The followers of Jesus do not understand that this agreement God has made with us to be our God and for us to be God's people is a permanent covenant, one that we constantly break.
Jesus got it. And he has his mind set on Jerusalem to keep the contract, pay the price, and make good on the promise. In this moving passage (Luke 13:31-35) Jesus speaks to the children of Abraham as a mothering God wishing to take them under His wing, and protect them, even to the point of death.
Over the next few weeks that we call Lent, we will see how this great contract is fulfilled in a frenzy of love for us. How our salvation is secured, our faults redeemed, and our debts paid.
As Christians we are called to imitate Christ. One of the hardest parts of that is to forgive others as we have been forgiven. We pray it each week. We all have someone in our lives, living or dead, that we need to forgive. That someone may even be ourselves. Perhaps the best way to start forgiving others is to realize the steep price that has been paid.
So rejoice and rejoice again!!! The bank has called. You are off the hook!Amen! | |
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February 4 - Epiphany 5 LUke 5:1-11 |
A priest is doing evangelism at the local bar. He goes up to the first man he sees and says, "Son, would you like to go to heaven?"
"Yes, Father."
"Then go over and stand by the wall and wait for me."
The priest goes to a second man and asks him the same question. Again, "yes" and again, "Stand by the wall."
The priset goes to a third man and asks him if he would like to go to heaven. "No thanks!," replies the third man.
The priest is astounded by this. "You don't want to go to heaven when you die?"
"Oh, when I die, sure!" said the man. "I thought you were getting a group together to go now."
It's a bad joke no matter who tells it. But it serves to remind us that we all want our church to be evangelical; that is, proclaimers of the Good News. We are all expected to be evangelists, bearers of Good News, and we all think Evangelism is important. And like the joke, we are often bad at it. We don't know what to say or what to do in order to be evangelists.
We are the Evangelical Lutheran Church. The word is the first one in our name. All believers in Christ are to be Evangelical.
So why aren't we growing? Or rather, why aren't we growing as fast as we as a local church and a denomination would like to grow?
Today, all three lessons point towards the call of God, the desire from God and of God to be bearers of the "Good News."
In Isaiah 6:1-13, the prophet recalls a vision that he has found rich in symbolism and high on drama. Isaiah's response to the vision is "Woe is me, I am lost, I have unclean lips and I live with people who have foul mouths." Yet in the vision, God gives Isaiah the words and the will to proclaim God's reign. All is burned away, but the stump will remain. The holy seed is the stump.
In first Corinthians 15, St. paul reminds the congregation in Corinth how central this good news is to the church. It is the news that changed the lives of Cephas (Peter) and the twelve and the five hundred witnesses to the Resurrection, and even to him; "one that was untimely born, the least." And it was making a difference in the lives of the people of Corinth.
The Gospel of Luke Chapter 5 tells us the story of Jesus and the first disciples. This third reading shows the commonality of our texts today; about bearing and answering God's call to discipleship and.....EVANGELISM. We have established that we are all about EVANGELISM.
Jesus drafts the fisherman to help him speak to the crowds. He needs their boats. Peter tells him that they have caught nothing.
FIRST, Jesus tells him to go into deep water. Deep water was dangerous, prone to storms that could overtake any boat; the home of sea monsters and demons. Remember God made the Leviathan for sport, as related in the Psalm. And when Jesus had cast out the demons into the pigs, they dove into the deep water. Deep water was perilous because hardly anybody knew how to swim. Most people ahd never been in water deeper than their knees.
SECOND, Jesus tells him to cast his nets. Peter had caught nothing all day. This wasn't a hobby; fishing was a matter of life and death for these fishermen. So Peter had fear of an economic nature, just as we have fears of losing our livelihoods. But just as Peter is about to give up, Jesus shows him the miracle of scores of fish. So many fish that the boat itself is in danger of sinking.
THIRD, Jesus tells him, "Do not be afraid, for I will make you catchers of people." DO NOT BE AFRAID.
Point four is that the literal reading of Jesus' comforting words is "alive-catching." "I will make you catchers of alive. I wil make you capable of restoring people to life."
DO NOT BE AFRAID. The world is a fearful place, a scary place. We too fear the unknown of the deep, of the places in life we cannot see or understand. We too fear the economy, we fear the future.
But Jesus' message is DO NOT BE AFRAID. This is the first step of evangelism.
The Angel said to Mary, "be not afraid!"
The Angel said to Elizabeth, "Be not afriad."
The Angel said to Zechariah, "be not afraid."
The Angel said to the shepherds tending their flocks "be not afraid."
The Angel tells Mary at the empty tomb, "Be not afraid, for He has gone before you."
Jesus tells Peter, "be not afraid."
"Come to our Church" can sometimes seem threatening (or else...) Faith rooted in fear of God is not faith. Evangelism is meant to conquer fear.
We all want and need our church to grow. But we must look at the fears in our lives that hold us down and hold us back. We must trust in God, and place our fears with him. We must give our fear of death over to the One who conquered death. He who stilled the waters of the deep will not fail us. The Message of every Evangelism begins with "DO NOT BE AFRAID." AMEN. COME LORD JESUS. | | |
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January 21 - AN UNLIKELY PARTNERSHIP |
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The woman walking up the Roman road hugged a secret. Hidden beneath her robe was the entire future of Christian theology. For she bore a letter to the church in Rome that would spell out, like no other document ever written, the implications and significance of the Gospel.
The Apostle Paul had a problem. In the busy seaport town of Corinth he had written to the distant Roman church. There was no easy and confidential phone service. And since it would be another 1,950-odd years before e-mail was invented, he decided not to wait
It was even slower than the US Postal Service. Instead, he had to find someone to carry his letter.
That someone was the woman Phoebe. We know about her from only two verses that Paul wrote in his letter: “I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deaconess in the church at Cenchrea (Corinth,) that you may receive her in the Lord as befits the Saints, and help her in whatever she may require from you, for she has been a helper of many and of myself as well.”
There are two events on the church calendar this week that get little or no attention from most of us. The first is The Conversion of St.Paul, the second is the Feast of Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe. No one has St. Paul’s Day off from work and there are no Lydia or Dorcas trees or exchanging of presents. We as a congregation have chosen to celebrate these events by honoring the ministry of women in the church. It is a good and right thing to do so.
St. Paul is the name of the man that we honor in the name of our church. If for no other reason, it is nice to know who you were named after. Presumably, when a person is named after their mother or father or grandparents or whoever, it is in honor of that person. It is also a way to pass on some of the good characteristics of the person honored, an attempt to instill the best of that person’s traits and personality.
In Bible Study this past Advent we talked about names, and almost everyone knew something about the origin of their name, and why they bore that name. Our names are important; they define us. Since we as a congregation associate ourselves with St. Paul’s name, it is a good thing to think about what that means in relation to our church life.
We could of course spend the rest of the day talking about St. Paul’s theology and views on the world. Relax. We won’t.
St. Paul is one of the most misunderstood people in the Bible. His views have been distorted and used for terrible evil. St. Paul was once used in this country to justify slavery. In Romans, there are passages that without proper scholarship and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit seem to condemn gay and lesbian people. Isolated passages have forced people to stay together in legal marriages long after they have been spiritually and mentally divorced, with no regard to violence or despair. Equally as tragic, St. Paul has been used to deny women full citizenship in the Kingdom of God, namely as pastors and priests. This thought is repudiated in several places. St. Paul had many partners in ministry. Lydia, Dorcas, and Phoebe were three of them. The role of women in the proclamation of the Gospel was necessary and invaluable.
Dorcas was known for her assistance to the poor. Lydia, a merchant of purple cloth, opened her home to Luke and Paul after her baptism, and her home became the first church in Philippi.
Phoebe, as mentioned earlier, carried the Good News to the Christians in Rome. As one theologian points out, Paul could write the letter but not deliver it. Phoebe could not have written the letter, but she could carry it. The proclamation of the Gospel requires partnership. As Christians we need one another. Christianity is about partnership.
It is about the coming together of those who do not necessarily fit. It is the work of unlikely joining.
Jesus spoke about this in the Gospel today. The people of Nazareth had been hearing reports of all the great things that Jesus was doing in Capernaum. Now he was returning to Nazareth. The hometown boy made good. He reads to them from the prophet Isaiah and then tells them: “Today the Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” That is to say that the fulfillment of God is in partnership with those who hear God’s word.
At first the crowd accepts this and likes the preaching. But as we will see next week, there is more to the story. Jesus begins to talk about that partnership in terms of Pagans and Samaritans and secular humanists and all sorts. The crowd does not approve. As Paul Harvey says, “And now you know the rest of the story.” The rest of the story is that they wanted to kill him. They did not approve of the partnerships that God chose, just as many do not approve of those partnerships today.
The good news for us is that we are called to be in partnership with God. Do you hear how powerful that is? That our voice matters, that our thoughts count, that we can make a difference the lives of those around us.
We celebrate the ministry of women today, but more than that, we celebrate that God has called all of us to be co-partners in ministry. Let no one tell you different.
Thanks be to God!
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January 14th: WATER INTO WINE |
There is a time-honored story about a skeptic who was continually harassing the local Pastor. His one delight in life seemed to be making the Pastor seem intellectually inadequate. The Pastor bore these challenges to his faith and theology with great restraint.
One day the skeptic was heckling the preacher about his views on miracles and divine interventions. "Give me just one example of a miracle," the skeptic admonished, "and I will be quiet." At this point the Pastor drew back his foot, and with all his power and might kicked the man squarely in the shin.
Ouch! The skeptic couldn't believe it.
"Did you feel that?" asked the Pastor.
"Yes," the man replied, nursing his sore leg.
"If you didn't," said the Pastor, "it would have been a miracle."
Miracles are hard to prove; it is even harder to convince others of their existence. It is no wonder that Jesus told His disciples not to look for miracles, but to consider the presence of God. He often charged them not to tell others of miracles. It is as if Jesus realized that the miracle was not the end result but only one of many tools that pointed to the Kingdom of God. Miracles for Jesus are not proof. And after all, faith is not proof. It has never been and never will be.
The miracles of Jesus are never show off or revel in his power, but instead to reveal his glory. In verse 11 of today's Gospel, "Jesus did this, the first sign to reveal his glory." And here is the key fifference: John tells us early that God is coming to live among us in his glory.
We heard this passage at Christmas: "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." For the Gospel of John, the glory of God is the radical idea that God would come to live among us, with us, and for us. And through this incarnation is grace and truth. Grace and truth are glory.
The Gospel of John wants us all to realize that Jesus is not some kind of a magician or someone who can manipulate the scene. It is not to demonstrate how strong Jesus is, but only that He is here with us.
Consider today's Gospel lesson opens with a wedding feast that Jesus and His family have been invited to. The unthinkable happens. They have run out of wine. To run out of wine at a Jewish wedding is a serious breach of etiquette. It not only reflected on the family involved, but on everyone. The average wedding celebration lasted a week. It was expected that the guests would bring gifts. The same thing happens today, but instead of registering at Macy's or Bed, bath and Neyond, the guests were expected to provide food and (especially) wine. If there was not enough wine, it meant that the wedding couple had few friends. To run out of wine indicated that the community was opposed to the wedding. It was not just a failure of the bridegroom. It was a failure of the bride, a failure of their families, a failure of the guests, and a failure of the entire community. It was both embarrassing and shameful.
Mary asked Jesus to do something. Standing close by were empty jars used in Jewish purification rites. Each jar held 20-30 gallons of water.
Jesus took a radical step to make a difference. To save others their embarrassment and to provide where there was nothing. The point of the story is not the changing of water to wine, but in the radical nature, the radical steps that Jesus takes to be with humans, to be present for humans, to love humans. In this story, Jesus feels what the guest feels and shares in their shame and embarrassment, and then lifts the entire community.
The glory that is revealed is not in the miracle, but in Jesus living among us in grace in truth. The glory that is revealed is not the miracle, but God choosing to take on humanity's plight. The glory that is revealed is not the miracle, for the miracle is only a vehicle to demonstrate the divine love and esteem held by Jesus for us.
We ofetn forget what a radical concept our faith is. That God would deign to become human and live among us. It is the concept that many cannot accept. St. Paul says it is a stumbling block to the Jews and a scandal to the Gentiles.
I use the word RADICAL intentionally. Radical really means to get at the root of something. It is the same Latin cognate as the word radish. Because the concern that Jesus showed for all present that day is the root of the miracle and the root of our religion.
The word radical is often used to describe radical religion, especially radical Islam. It is a pejorative term. We use it in conjunction with terrorism and violence. But there is nothing radical about violence. It is all too commonplace and is practiced by many people. We practice it in war and at work. It is a part of daily life. LOVE is what is radical. Empathy as felt by Jesus for the other guests is radical. Doing something for others is radical.
Each year I pull out this quote from Dr. King's letter from Birmingham jail:
"But though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus as extremist for love: 'Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.' Was not Amos an extremist for justice: 'Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.' Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that an men are created equal ..." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we viii be. We we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremist for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime---the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jeans Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists."
In that letter he speaks of this radical nature of God. He had been called an extremist by some local clergy in Birmingham. That is to say they called him a radical.
Perhaps the question posed by Dr. King is a good one and one demonstrated by our lesson today. Are we not called as followers of Jesus to be extremist? Are we not called to take extreme action for those in our community and in our lives like those at the wedding feast? When they are let down is not extreme love the message that we bear? Is not God's glory? The glory of the only Son still not extremely present for us today in the radical nature of the word and the extreme gift at the table?
I invite you to consider the call to discipleship this week especially on the day we call Martin Luther King Day and ask "how can I be an extremist for the great love shown to me?"
Amen. | |
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December 31 - First Sunday in Christmas |
SERMON BY CAROLE MOOREMerry Christmas!
I'm sure all of you have spent a busy week since we last gathered.
Last Sunday most of us attended two services - one in the morning, and a beautiful festive one in the evening. We heard the bell choir, the regular choir, a jazz trio, and the woodwinds orchestra. We sang all the familiar Christmas carols. And then we went home to celebrate Christmas in whatever manner we usually do.
Walter and I drove to Pittsburgh - leaving early Christmas morning - to be with my sister and her husband, my two nephews, and their families. It is so pleasurable to watch a 2 1/2 year old open his gifts and be surprised and delighted at what he finds. The true Christmas spirit shows in the eyes of a child.
In our Gospel text for today, Mary and Joseph and Jesus have been in Jerusalem attending the Passover Festival which is usually in late March or early April. After it is over, they leave for home. Everyone was walking in small groups on the roads. Mary and Joseph assumed that Jesus was walking with friends, somewhere in the large group of people.
After a day's traveling, they looked for him and could not find him anywhere. Can you imagine the panic that would set in if you were to look for your son or daughter after a day's journey and couldn't find them?
What happened to him? Did he get lost? Was he hurt and lying somewhere on the road? Or did something more terrible happen to him? They asked everyone, but no one had seen Jesus. They retraced their steps, going back to Jerusalem to look for him there.
After three days, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the Temple, sitting among the scholars, listening and asking questions. The relief at finding him must have also been mixed with great annoyance. Do you realize what you have put us through? We could not find you, we searched everywhere, we did not know what happened to you.
Jesus calmly tells them, "Did you not know that I would be in my Father's House?" The House of God? He was in the Temple learning from the Rabbis and scholars. All the men present were amazed at his great understanding and his ability to answer whatever questions they asked. At a young age, he was able to thoroughly understand the discussions they were having, AND was able to join in to those discussions.
Jesus went with Mary and Joseph. He left the Temple and went home with them. After that, he was obedient to them.
When Jesus was in the Temple learning from the scholars, he was learning his Father's work and the Godly things he needed to know. Mary and Joseph did not understand that their son was a "special" son, who was destined to do great works and to bring his Father's message to all.
The story of Jesus in the Temple is familiar to us all. Learning it first in Sunday School, we can all picture this boy of about twelve, in the Temple, asking his elders many questions, listening to and participating in these discussions. This story is one example in which Jesus' early life showed signs of his coming greatness.
Jesus and his family were devout in observance of Passover, traveling to Jerusalem for the annual festival. Jesus refers to God as "my Father." "I am in my Father's House." Was he becoming aware of his unique relationship with God? Was he becoming aware of his later submission to his Father's will, and accepting his unique role in the story of salvation? It appears that at this early age, Jesus somehow realized his unique position and his future.
Today's Gosepl gives us an insight into the family life of Jesus, a devout Jewish family observing Jewish laws. It shows that Jesus was developing physically, mentally and spiritually, due to the family life that he had.
Our first reading, from Samuel, shows another family, that of Samuel. Samuel, as you may recall, lived with Eli from whom he learned the Lord's teachings. His parents Hannah and Elkanah traveled each year visit him, his mother bringing him a new robe to wear for each coming year. Eli would bless both parents because they had given their son Samuel to the Lord.
Each year, Samuel's mother made him a new robe, a robe for the coming year, a robe for the New Year.
Our second lesson, a reading from Colossians, is often used at weddings as it sets a pattern of Christian family life based on mutual forgiveness. The reading tells us that we are God's chosen ones. We should clothe ourselves, we should put on a new robe, a new robe for the new year, with the great qualities which reflect the Lord's presence.
We should be compassionate, kind, humble, meek, and patient. We should forgive one another just as God has forgiven us. We should take upon ourselves the qualities of God. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and above all, LOVE.
This reading could very well set the tone and be an example of our New Year's resolutions for 2007. All of us should try to live our lives in the coming year so we are more like God.
We should try to be forgiving to anyone who has hurt us. After all, God forgives us for all our sins. He forgives us for our wrongdoings. We should learn to forgive others also. This is NOT easy to do. If someone says something to hurt us, or slights us, or is nasty to us, the most natural reaction is to do the same thing to them; "an eye for an eye." It is MUCH harder to forgive them, to turn the other cheek. But this is what God expects us to do. He wants us to live in His image. He is forgiving, therefore we must be also.
Clothe yourselves with love. Be loving in all that you do. Let love shine from you.
Let the peace of Christ live in your hearts. We share this Peace each week with one another when we say "The Peace of the Lord." We are telling everyone that we wish them God's Peace throughout the coming week.
We are asked to be thankful for what we have, not for material gifts, but for the spiritual ones we share.
Be thankful for each other, for friends.
Be thankful for a beautiful church in which to worship each week.
Be thankful we have lovely music.
Be thankful we have a wonderful new Pastor this year.
Be thankful for ALL of God's blessings.
Be thankful that God is always with us, watching over us, caring for us, forgiving us.
Be thankful that we can gather each week to share the "Body and Blood of Christ."
Be thankful we know God and His teachings.
Be thankful of everything we have received.
Let the Word of Christ dwell in our hearts. Sing psalms and hymns to God with gratitude for all that we have received, for all that HE has given us.
An, whatever we do, do it in the name of the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father.
This year, as we make our New Year's Resolutions, let's not make the usual ones, "to watch less TV," "To read more," "To lose wight," "To exercise." Let this second reading from Colossians become the New Year's Resolutions for us all. "Show kindness, compassion, humility, meekness and patience. Forgive one another. Fill your heart with love toward all. Share God's Peace with everyone. In all that we do, be thankful for all that we have. Sing praises to God, worship Him each week. Share His Body and Blood each week with your sisters and brothers in Christ. Let the word of God dwell in our hearts. And whatever we do, do it in the name of the Lord. HAPPY NEW YEAR! AMEN | |
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Christmas Eve 2006 |
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There was an insuurection at last year's Christmas pageant. In a melee of discarded walking canes and cardboard wings, the shepherds decided to cast off thier oversized bathrobes and exchange them for the glistening tensile of angels wings. Wings and canes and broken haloes everywhere.
And who can blame them? Angels wear the best costumes, vibrant and glowing. Shepherds...well, shepherds wear worn towels on their heads. Angels soar and sing. Shepherds spend savagely cold nights homeless, watching for danger and fighting off wolves. The job of shepherd is a difficult one. The cold desert nights in Judea are not for the faint of heart. Despite the bucolic scenes we have of shepherds from Sunday School, no mother would want their child to grow up to be a shepherd.
The Scriptures, as recorded by Luke, tell us that the shepherds are tending their flocks, when in the midst of their ordinary work, a Divine revelation is thrust upon them. An angel announces the good news; the Long-awaited Messiah is born. The shepherds act immediately upon this news and journey to Bethlehem. Arrining in Bethlehem, they see the small family of Mary, Joseph and Jesus in humble circumstances. Unlike the three kings we read of in Matthew, they bring no gifts.
At this point in the story, the shepherds tell the new family and others around them about their encounter with the angels and the good news that they have received. The scriptures do not tell us who the "others" are. The scriptures do tell us that all who heard were amazed!
Amazed! The shepherds return back to work, singing and rejoicing and acting much like angels.
Mary is more than amazed. From the visiting shepherds she receives a treasure. Luke reports: "But Mary treasured these words and pondered these things in her heart." She treasured these things, these words. Now enshrined in her life was the witness of common, working-class, under-appreciated and over-worked shepherds. She treasured these words. One treasures and ponders old letters written from a friend or loved one, long ago gone yet anew in each reading. She treasured their words as one would treasure an old photo that grows more precious with time. They delivered a treasure to her in their words and deeds.
For many the wonder of humanity is not so wonderful. As for the shepherds, the days are often filled with endless tasks to make ends meet, and dark nights of the soul. How often do we overlook the importance of their lives and the treasures of their stories? The treasure Mary received from the shepherds was the wonder of witness. She simply heard the story of God touching ordinary lives; of God touching the lives of the ordinary with the ordinary.
Angels by definition are those beings that deliver God's messages, a celestial Western Union if you will. Their beauty is in their task. The shepherds delivered their messsage to Mary and then went about their business rejoicing and singing. Their actions were not any Different than that of the angels.
How often do we overlook the angels in our life that are found in one another? We like to think that we become angels when we die. The truth of the matter is that we are angels in many senses of the word while we live. When we share our lives and stories and God with one another.
Given the chance, none of us really wants to be a shepherd; life as an angel seems more exciting, more glamorous. Nights that are spent fighting off wolves try our hearts. Unlike the shepherds at the Christmas pageant, we do not become angels when we throw off the task of this life to pursue glory. The shepherds that night brought a treasure to Mary; a true treasure, a lasting treasure by their presence.
Let us never underestimate the gift that God has given us by the presence of each other. Let us never doubt that we are gifts to one another. The miracle of Christmas is God choosing to live with us. The shepherds that night chose to celebrate Christmas by sharing not gold or silver, but their witness and lives with Mary and Joseph. Perhaps the best way to celebrate is to take a cue from the shepherds and celbrate our lives and our stories and each other. Amen. | |
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DECEMBER 24 - ADVENT 4 - MARY THE MOTHER OF OUR LORD |
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Today we hear the story of Mary. The fourth Sunday in advent is traditionally the time when we hear the beautiful hymn that she recites. We call it the Magnificat, from the first line magnify…”My soul magnifies the Lord.” It originates from the Common Testament where it is known as the song of Hannah.
Today is Christmas Eve, but before we get to the Birth narrative, it behooves us to look at Mary just a bit. For the past few weeks, we have been looking at those who have played an important part in the life and ministry of our Lord. A mother is after all the first person most of us meet in life.
Someone asked George W Bush about his claim to be a Texan when he was actually born in Connecticut. He replied that he would have preferred to be born in Texas, but his mother was in Connecticut at the time and he felt that he should be with her on such an important occasion.
The images that we have of Mary are probably not very accurate.
First of all, she was not an adult by our standards. She was in all likelihood a girl of no more than thirteen or fourteen of age. The scripture does not tell us of her lineage, while it does tell us about her fiancé Joseph’s family, indicating that she was probably marrying “up,” as folks say. She was marrying a carpenter, not the lowest rung of society, but pretty darn close. The move upwards was only a small one.
Second, we can banish from our minds that pretty blue robe we picture her wearing. There were blue robes at the time. The blue dye came from rare shells that were found on the coast near Caesarea Philippi. It was terribly expensive.
Next, ditch the mule on which we see her riding. The scripture is pretty clear that they journeyed to Bethlehem on foot and not by riding. Most families did not have a mule. You may remember the disciples needing directions from Jesus on where to find one on Palm Sunday. Even if Joseph and Mary had had a mule, social customs and mores in first-century Palestine would have dictated that Joseph ride while Mary do the walking, even though she was pregnant. Joseph would have had to have been quite the feminist to let Mary ride instead.
Just for fun, I would like to see one Manger scene where Mary doesn’t look like she just came from the beauty shop instead of the delivery room. I remember when my sister had Jake. It was days before she would let any of us get near her with a camera.
So, picture Mary, a peasant girl, with a newly questionable reputation and few options; a pregnant teenager, unmarried, uneducated, and unemployed. All of these things, and she was the one chosen by God to bear the Messiah.
The intent of this sermon is not to pull the rug out from under your Christmas, but to announce that apparently Christmas comes even to those who don’t have a rug on which to stand. The point is not to bring down your Christmas, but to remind you that God comes down even to those at the bottom of society.
The story of Mary parallels another story in Luke. We discussed the story of Zachariah and Elizabeth in Bible study this week.
Zach was everything that Mary wasn’t. He was a wise man, a learned man, a man from a priestly family, with a job and an education. He was a religious man and a respected man. He was married to Mary’s cousin Elizabeth. They had advanced in years and had given up the hope of having a child.
An angel comes to both Mary and Zachariah; to Mary in her humble home, and to Zachariah in the Temple. The angel announces to them both that it is God’s will that a child should be born to them, to Mary a Savior. To Zachariah and Elizabeth a prophet is to be born. Zachariah had prayed his whole life for a child. Mary had not. Zachariah’s prayers were being answered, even if he thought too late. Mary’s were answered too soon, before she was married.
There are many differences between these two individuals and their situations. But here is the biggest difference. Mary believed the angel. Zachariah did not. Mary believed instantly, while the good church man Zachariah had to wait until he witnessed the actual birth of his son before he believed. Mary sings. Zachariah is mute.
Don’t you find it interesting that God somehow used both of them, that God kept his promises to both?
To really understand how God accomplished this loving mission we call Christmas through Mary, we must also understand God accomplishing the divine mission through Zachariah and Elizabeth; two very different situations, very different people with different levels of faith and different prayers. God needs both despite the different situations and differences in faith. God kept his promise.
The good news is that God’s will is being done through us and with us, sometimes despite us. God’s desire to save humanity is not based on our understanding, knowledge, wisdom, or position in life, but is based solely on God’s knowledge, wisdom, and position in our lives. God’s promises to us are based not on our amount of faith, but on God’s faithfulness.
Mary and Zechariah, two very different people of very different levels of faith. Their stories are our stories. Sometimes we are like Mary, and many times, maybe even most of the time, we are like Zachariah. God still loves us, uses us for His divine purpose, and is always faithful to us.
Blessed are you Mary, and Blessed are we.
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December 17, 2006 |
John the Baptist didn't fool around. He referred to his congregation as a snake pit. As you know, there aren't many "Brood of Vipers Baptist" or "Snake Pit Lutheran" churches around town. Whether or not there should be is another matter.Any sermon that starts off with the Pastor calling the congregants snakes or (paraphrasing) SOBs is bound to get some reaction, even if it is a negative one.
At first glance this sermon may not seem to have much good news, or for that matter ANY good news. However, John's sermon does have a lot to say about the church, our lives together, and our calling as followers of Jesus.
Pastor Brian Stoffregan (he gets quoted a lot in our sermons) makes an interesting observation about our text. He says that there are three kinds of people being addressed by John's comments:
1. CHILDREN OF VIPERS
2. THOSE CLAIMING TO BE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM
3. THOSE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM WHO HAVE BEEN RAISED UP OR GIVEN NEW LIFE.
As followers of the Jesus we affirm that we are in the third group. People of the Covenant: saved and bathed, redeemed, justified, sanctified, and bona fide children of God.
Yet for John the Baptist, there is more to our faith journey than just making this claim and resting on our laurels while we wait for Jesus. In John's theology, one's parenatge is indicated by one's actions. One's action is a reflection of one's family.
When I was a child and I would spend the night at a friend's house, my parents would often say "Remember who you are." That is to say the way you behave is a reflection on us all. Act like the person that you are raised to be, and act like the person you can be. We as a church are mirrors of the life that God is calling us to live. John reminds his congregation of much the same.
As much as this congregation may disagree with the actions of some of our more fundamentalist brothers and sisters, we should in no way rejoice in their downfall. The Pastor that was recently caught in a drug and sex scandal is someone that I do not agree with, and the temptation to say "the hypocrite deserves to be humiliated," the truth is that his actions reflect on us all.
John calls us to bear fruits worthy of repentance. To live lives that mirror the good news that we have received. To be children that remember who we are, children who grow into faith. He tells us to repent in order to take our faith and our journey seriously, as we discussed last week. The word "repent" literally means to change your mind. And changing your mind means to look to God first, and ourselves secondly; to trust in God's power in the first instance, to go to God as the first option, and not the last resort.
So how do we do it? How do we live out this repentance? We may need to do better, or even want to do better. Often folks tell people to do better or to improve, without really being shown what the improvement looks like, or what we mean. You can tell a child to do better in school, but it is much more instructive to say "you need to spend thirty minutes a day on your math lessons."
The Gospel of Luke, where we encounter John today, reminds us in the words of Jesus that as children of God, we are to:
Give Away All That We Own
Love our Enemies and Do Good to Those Who Hate You
Do Unto Others as you Would Have Them Do Unto You
and
Eat This Bread and Drink This Cup in Remembrance of Me.
That's quite a tall order, isn't it? Indeed it is! It seems impossible. This would be very bad news except that John points to Jesus. In all these teachings, in this rather frank and shocking sermon of John's --- he is always pointing to the coming of the Messiah. His congregation that day had forgotten who they were called to be. They forgot WHO THEY WERE!
John stands, pointing to Jesus, and pointing out to people the importance of seeing Jesus. John describes him as having a winnowing fork in his hand. It turned out that the winnowing fork was a cross..........it turned out that the winnowing fork, the judgment that John speaks of, was a cross borne for us.
The One we belong to, the One willing to die for our failures and shortcomings, is the one that we point to in our Service today. Pointing to the Messiah for our strength and our hope. Our Messiah is the one who judges with his own life. This Advent, let us follow John's advice. This Advent, let us prepare for the child born in Bethlehem by remembering who we are and whose we are. | |
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DECEMBER 10: Second Sunday in Advent |
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A recent headline in the op-ed section of the Newark Star-Ledger read: "You can come out now, the election is over." Every two years, we hold an election for Congress. Candidates campaign, make speeches, and utter promises of what they will accomplish if elected. We listen to the speeches, hear the promises and amke a decision. In January, the new pack is sworn in and inaugurated.
If your candidate wins, you may have a heightened sense of expectation; maybe this candidate will keep the promises? If your candidate loses, most people are willing to give the winnera fair chance. Maybe reality will match the hopes of the voters; maybe, just maybe, rhethoric will be enfleshed in action.
Things were no different in Biblical times, when folks looked to the prophets as new leaders, with hope and expectation. We hear from three prophets today:
MALACHI
In the old Testament lesson, the prophet Malachi is disappointed, to say the least, about what he sees in Israel; men leaving their families to take advantage of a new prosperity sweeping the land, to go after those more exotic and profiutable relationships. The wealthy were mistreating the poor, selling some into slavery. Jews were turning on their own. Malachi promises that God will not forever tolerate this abuse of the people. That promise will be kept. He tells people to prepare for the one who will fulfill this promise; the leader who will come and make things right.
ISAIAH
The Gospel lesson quotes our second prophet. The Southern Kingdom of Judah had a new king. The accession to the throne of Judah by a memener of the House of David was a time of hope and expectation....maybe this King would keep the promises of the covenant made between God and David.
God had promised to David through Nathan that a descendant of David would sit on the throne in Jerusalem. This ruler would be anointed with the spirit of God, to act rightfully and faithfully so that his reign would produce Peace on Earth. Isaiah had a vision of a reign where the lion and the lamb would lie down together.
All the necessary wisdom, counsel and might will be given to this king. He will deal justly with the poor, the weak and defenseless. The promise was so much more than just the ramblings of crazy old Isaiah.
Isaiah tells his people to expect that this promise will be kept. He was no politician going back on his word.
JOHN THE BAPTIST
He was not much of a dresser, or a gourmet; he came along clothed in camel hair and eating locusts. He reminded people that the promise of God had not been forgotten; that the king would indeed come, and that they were part of the election process. His call is: "be ready for the new and imminent reign."
He tells them to REPENT (literally, to turn their lives and their minds around....and look in a new direction.) He proclaims a BAPTISM (literally, a washing of reopentance.
REPENT. We hear it a lot; fire and brimstone preachers love to use the word. We begin our Service with an order of repentance and forgiveness. The words repent or repenting occur 56 times in the New Testament; 25 times in the Gospel of Luke, from where we get today's text.
Let's take a look at the word as it is used in Luke to better understand what John is talking about. The Greek text uses the words METANOEO ---- noeo is the word for mind (we hear it in words like paranoia (against the mind.)) meta is a prefix that means to change; METANOEO means to change one's way of thinking, to turn around on a path, to reorient oneself.
So what is it that needs to be changed in our thinking? For John the Baptist, his preaching was pointing to God's promises. His message was pointed at the coming of God's promise as quoted from Isaiah; John pointed toward the New King. The Messiah. Jesus. He tells the people, "have you forgotten about God's promise? God doesn't! Wake up!"
What needs to be changed in our thinking is that we forget to look toward God. It is the realization that we need Jesus in our lives. We need a power greater than us, wiser than us, stronger than us; a power good and righteous and just. Just, as promised by God.
Often we use the word repentance to say we need to act better; that somehow we are justified before God by the good in our lives, and we try to obey the commandments. When we come up short, we promise to do better.
The problem with this kind of thinking is that it doesn't seek outside help. We look to ourselves first, and God second. It doesn't rely on God's promise to send our redeemer, our Savior, our helper. The mind says "I Can do this myself." The mind has not changed. We confuse repentance with morality.
All 12-Step programs begin with the first step --- I can't do this by myself. And those who have the most success in recovery are probably those who believe it.
The other side of confessing and acknowledging:
"I CAN'T."
"GOD CAN."
The great theologian Robert Capon said "the church is not in the morals business. The world is in the morals business." Paraphrasing, the world has plenty of laws and philosphers, many moral codes and monuments to moral people. What the world does not have and cannot have is forgiveness. The world is in the morals business. The church is in the forgiveness business.
And only God can forgive. Only the power of the promised one can do that.
Brothers and sisters, the Good News for us is that God keeps the promise made to the chosen people by Isaiah, and Malachi, and John the Baptist. The promise that we are not alone, that we do not need to do it on our own. Telling us to:
Turn around and rely on that promise.
Put our Trust in God's power
Share our Burdens with the Lord and invite the good and gentle ruler to rule our lives.
AMEN! | | | Go To Page: [1] 2 |
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